Orange Gourd Birdhouses

I finally played with some gourds to make a birthday present for someone whose favourite colour is orange!

I started off cleaning three just in case something went wrong as they seem rather thin and delicate now that they're all dried out. First one got kicked from the cleaning process as I found a big crack. The one on the left also has a crack in the bottom so I used it as my practice before making the one on the right for the gift. The reason for finishing off the one on the left was that I figured it would be good to stick it in the garden as an experiment to see how long they last outside.

Not a bad project when I feel like doing something different, but scrubbing (or rather scraping) them clean does take quite awhile - even after soaking them first. I used spray paint with primer that was suitable for wood and the wire is just galvanised wire from the fencing section at Bunnings. I doubt any wild birds will move into it once I put it in the garden but I added drainage holes to the bottom just in case.

Merry Christmas

Since we have a busy few days coming up and will be travelling on Christmas Day I thought it best to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas a little early. It is going to be a very different Christmas this year for many people all over the world, so I hope everyone can get some enjoyment this year even if traditions and large family gatherings have to be missed this year due to covid.

Luckily since Archie is a dog he was able to get his first cuddle with Santa this year unlike many children. He was incredibly excited but surprisingly calmed down long enough for this cute photo!

Jar Labels

Every year I make sweet chilli sauce to give out as gifts. It started because I used to have a slight obsession with growing different chilli varieties even though we don't eat them! Plus now I have a sweet chilli sauce that I actually like and I can make it seedless, plus everyone I've gifted it to seems to like it.

If you're interested in making it yourself, I use this recipe but I use white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar and halve the ginger. Since we don't like our food to burn our mouths I use approximately 2/3 medium heat chillis and the rest is a sweet, mild chilli. Of course this changes depending on what chillis I have grown each year. I make a double batch so I have enough for gifts and our own consumption for the year - although if I run out again I'll have to triple it next year!

Originally I started out just using a sharpie to label the jars each year but then I started using my silhouette to make stickers. They look so much nicer that I did the same for the little gift jars of honey as well. Although after weeding all of those stickers I'm thinking next year I'll just do printable labels to make my life easier!

Calico Shopping Bags

Every now and then I see reusable bags for sale at the shops that have a plain print on them which is perfect to colour in with Sharpies! I've collected 3 of them to colour in now and have finally finished the first one I bought. I've even done a quick hand wash and the colour stuck! You do have to be careful as sometimes the colour bleeds, it's only really noticeable when using light colours next to dark ones.

Big Brother Bandana

I made a bandana for our dog to announce to our parents that we're having a baby! We're due in April so I really need to start making things for our baby, so far I've got some tie dye onesies ready, but I want to start sewing some gender neutral outfits since we don't know if it's a boy or girl.

It was pretty simple, I sewed up a bandana just by copying one of the bandanas we already have for Archie since they fit him well. Then I printed up what I wanted written on the bandana, taped the bandana to the piece of paper, then taped all of it to the window on a sunny day and simply traced it with a permanent marker. 

I used a thin cotton pillowcase (that Archie chewed a hole in!) as it was easy to see the writing through the fabric. Originally I tried making one using an old tshirt so I didn't have to sew anything, but it was difficult to see through. I'd recommend using the woven cotton as the stretch of the tshirt fabric caused the marker to drag and it didn't look very nice.