Category Archives: Made by Hand

Good Food: Tuna Patties

This is one of my favourite new-found recipes. So simple. So budget friendly. So healthy. And so absolutely delicious. Do you follow this guy? This is his recipe. He’s rad. He’s all about the good stuff. Good surf. Good food. Great family. You should check him out. He’s ace.

What you need:

Finely sliced or grated spring onion
Grated carrot
Tin of ethical tuna
One roasted Sweet Potato (just roast it whole, skin and all and then scoop out the delicious innards and mash them up)
Fresh herbs (I used mint and coriander – but anything is fair game)
Lots of garlic
Big spoonful of your favourite spice/s (personally I’m on a bit of a cumin kick at the moment – can’t get enough of the stuff)
One free-range egg
Coconut oil for frying

What you do:

So easy. Chop everything up and put it in a bowl. Mix it all together with your hands.

Shape into patties and then fry in coconut oil until golden brown. I served mine with a leafy green salad, crusty bread and a big helping of natural home-made yoghut. Seriously, you MUST try this. Takes the old tuna patties to a whole new level of yum….

Enjoy healthy, budget friendly, kid friendly food! And enjoy this guy… he has some awesome recipes!

xox

Good Food: An introduction to Kefir (and a yummy recipe too)

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I was first introduced to kefir by my beautiful friend De. She is my “food guru.” She is one of those amazing women who grabs life by the horns and shakes the hell out of it until it all just falls into place. She has always been beautiful but in the past 18 months she has literally transformed herself and her life through changing her (and her families) eating habits and lifestyle. She kicks some serious ass and I can’t prompt her enough (eh hem… I know you are reading this my friend) to WRITE A BLOG about it. I’d be her number one fan.

Anyway, kefir. I tried it for the first time about six months ago when I was on holiday in Perth from Indonesia. Whilst sitting in De’s kitchen with my baby Bo on my knee I drank kefir fresh from the jar as she separated the grain from the delicious cultured milk. I was surprised at its tart, smooth and fresh flavour. And I was intrigued by its health benefits. Packed full of good stuff, kefir is also easy to digest and is an excellent addition to any family diet. It took me six months to get my act together but for the past few weeks I have been growing my own kefir and Bo and I are both consuming it on a daily basis.

To grow kefir you need minimal supplies, minimal skill and minimal cash. Perfect.

All you need is a large glass jar, a strainer, smaller jars or tubs for fridge storage and most importantly your starter kefir grain.

For more information on growing your own kefir (including culturing different nut milks) I suggest this website as an excellent starting point. I am by no means an expert on the matter but I’m keen and I’m learning more all the time. My kefir grains are producing beautiful kefir that Bo and I have in our smoothies every morning and along with my homemade yoghurt I feel that we are both reaping health benefits whilst being very kind to our environment (and my hip pocket). I have recently discovered that I can also bake with it, and the results have been delicious.

If you live in Western Australia I am happy to provide you with some of my kefir grains as they grow and duplicate. As my beautiful friend did for me… I would love to keep the kefir chain going… so if so, just get in touch and I’ll get some to you when they are ready.

Pumpkin & Kefir Scones

A couple of cups of wholemeal flour
A couple of heaped tablespoons of baking powder
About a cup of mashed pumpkin
A couple of big tablespoons of butter (you can probably leave this out or substitute it with coconut oil or the like, but I like real butter… so I use it… even if it’s not the best for me)
1 egg
1/2 a cup of kefir (can also be milk or yoghurt if you don’t have access to kefir – but it really makes them something special)

Whisk the butter so it’s nice and creamy, add pumpkin, (pre-whisked) egg and kefir and combine. Then sift in flour and baking powder, with wholemeal flour you often get the husks in the sifter… I dump these into the mix too. Then stir it all up adding extra flour if it’s way too sticky.

The kefir and pumpkin do make the mixture quite wet. Don’t worry about it. Just put lots of flour on your working surface and lots of extra flour on your hands and give it a good knead. Then roll, chop and pop on the pan in little round (mine are never round) lumps.

Feeling seedy? I love adding extra seeds to things for a flavour and nutrition boost… favourites are chia, sunflower and pepitas at the moment. Yum! I mix them through and sprinkle some extra ones on top for good measure.

Stick the tray in the pre-heated oven at around 180 – 200′C for 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked.

Eat them warm… feed them to your baby… feed them to your friends. Eat them for lunch with a big leafy green salad or serve them along with a delicious roast veggie salad for dinner.

Whichever way you eat them. They are delish.

Enjoy x

DIY Thursday: For the floor.

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When I have spare time (ha.ha) I like to get onto Pinterest and have a look at the cool stuff people are making. I’m a big fan on recycling and upcycling – turning junk into something new and beautiful. And there are some wonderful examples of people being thrifty and creative on the site. I saw a few tutorials on Pinterest that this particular project was based on and I decided that I’d give it a go for myself.

The T-shirt rug looked complicated… but I wanted to give it a go. I ~~have~~ had a huge bag of old t-shirts that have been kept or collected from jumble sales for crafting purposes – This is the BEST way to acquire great fabric for next to nothing, second hand clothes, just choose fabrics, colours, textures that you like.

I have no weaving experience. None. And I saw a few funny blogs online of some pretty epic fails from some people who had tried to make the rug.What I gathered from that was not to weave the weft too tight… bad idea according to this blogger.

I’m happy to say, mine worked. Fluke? Quite ~~possibly~~ likely.

I’m not sure where the original link from this particular tutorial came from as I’ve found a bunch of different blogs quoting the tutorial and using the same pics. Confusing much? Anyway, here is a good one and the one that I followed, whether or not it’s the original? I’m not sure.

On top of those tutorial instructions my little additions would be:

- the thicker your t-shirt strips are the better the results.
- you can keep weaving right up until one or two inches from the hula hoop edge… I don’t know why they say don’t. I did… and it was fine?
- I also used the waistband bits (the instructions say not to) and they worked just fine!
- I didn’t need to use tape to secure it to the hula hoop I didn’t find it slipped at all… but I used a stretch cotton shirt so maybe that helped? I’m not sure… it’s all guess work and as you know, I’m not very good at following instructions carefully.
- I only needed 6 t-shirts, not 12, but I think perhaps my 99c jumble sale hula-hoop was a bit smaller than they suggested?

This would be an awesome activity to do with kids. It’s cheap, and you probably have all of the materials laying around your home somewhere. Weaving isn’t hard and kids could have a great time making cute rugs for their bedrooms.

Mine isn’t perfect, but it’s a fun addition to our bathroom and it only took a couple of hours to make and it’s a great way to reuse old shirts that potentially would have been fodder for landfill.

Now if only I could figure out how to get an almost-one year old to stop pulling at the fabric…

Little Chicks, The Little Man (GIVEAWAY)

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There is nothing better than a good giveaway… and this Sunday we have such a special one!

Little Chicks, The Little Man is a gorgeous clothing label for children (and a few little goodies in there for mamas too). Kym makes limited edition, hand made children’s wear for the little special people in our lives.

When the little package arrived last week, I knew before I even opened it that it had been wrapped with the care of a grandmother. And when we opened the package the care and love that go into Kym’s little masterpieces was evident. Little Chicks, The Little Man’s clothes are sewn with the loving hands of a grandma… like all of those clothes that were made for me when I was little by my own special grandmother. There is something about tailor made clothes. Clothes made with love and clothes that are unique and thought out are really special. And aren’t our kids worth all that?

I LOVE the dress Kym picked out for Bo. Rockabilly eat your heart out!! She really needs a little pair of rollerskates with this dress!

These gorgeous little man shirts make me want a little guy to dress up and cuddle. They are so funky and come in so many different fabrics for your little man. It’s not that often that you find an artist who makes great boys clothes… I know so many of my friends with little boys are frustrated by the lack of handmade and unique options. Kym is your solution!

Little Chicks, The Little Man is offering one Inked reader a $50 voucher to spend however you like. This gorgeous little label has been around for a while doing the market circuit in QLD but for the very first time as of next weekend these beautiful handmade clothes will be offered to purchase online… from anywhere in the world… via their Facebook page.

All you need to do to enter is visit Little Chicks, The Little Man’s page on Facebook and let us know what you see that you just couldn’t be without! There are so many gorgeous items on there from dresses to slacks to rompers and hats… So many choices!

For an extra vote like Little Chicks, The Little Man’s page on Facebook and make sure you have Inked liked too… And just leave a little comment on here to let us know.

Gotta be in it to win it! – Winner will be announced next weekend. Best of luck guys!

** As with all of my sponsored posts and give-aways all opinions expressed in the post are my own – those of you who have read this blog long enough should know that you can’t pay me for a “positive” review – I’m all about the truth **

DIY Thursday: Get a grip.

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A very quick DIY this week, as the (perhpas-not-as-well-planned-as-it-should-have-been) beginning of a new segment on inked – thrifty DIY Thursday… how to upcycle, recycle or breathe new life into something old.

When Bo started standing a few months ago, clothes with enclosed feet became a hazard. She would slip and slide and without-out fail bang and bump her head on something. When kids start walking its so important that they can grip the ground. But so many baby clothes are made with feet attached, makes sense really… except when they start to stand.

I’d hate to not get good use out of the clothes that have been purchased for or handed down to Bo. It would seem like a terrible waste to just go out and buy more (feet-less) when she already has lots of clothes that still fit her perfectly.

So I guess you have two options. Cut the feet off or somehow create a grip on the bottom of them. I went with the latter. The solution, I discovered, was simple. All you need is a tube of puffy paint from your local craft store. I drew the puffy paint on the sole of the feet and left it to dry a good 24 hours before giving Bo a trial run. And run she did. No slipping!

Problem solved!

xox

You have something on your face…

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I have realised many things this past few weeks, things about my relationships, not just my relationship with other people. but also my relationship with myself. I haven’t respected myself enough. I haven’t taken enough care of myself, and that must change.

So it starts here. With food. On my face.

I’m a big believer in loving the skin your in. And part of loving it must be taking care of it, right? I’m not a big believer in beauty products, I think there is a lot of junk on the market that is designed to empty our pockets and lather our skin in chemicals, and that just doesn’t float my boat. I’ve always been very cautious about what I use on Bo’s skin but I’ve been lax about my own personal care.

This changes here.

The best thing about using “natural” skin products, is often you already have everything you need, right now… in your kitchen.

This is one of my favourites. And one I took the time to lather on my skin this evening whilst Bo was in the bath. What better time to let a face mask sit (when you have no time at all) than when you play with your baby at bath time…

Kiwi and Yoghurt face mask.

What you need:

Kiwi fruit

Fresh juice from one orange segment (optional)

No-crap yoghurt

Coconut oil

What you do:

Puree the kiwi fruit. I puree heaps when on special and freeze them in ice-cube trays along with lots of other fruits and vegies that get used for snacks, meals, desserts, frozen treats and skin care.

Mix in one spoon of yoghurt, a bit of coconut oil and a squeeze of orange juice.

Put it on your face. Rub it gently into your skin.

Let it dry, Then wash it off gently.

You can freeze any excess for use at a later date. Or just pop it in the fridge and treat yourself again tomorrow, or you know, just spoon it into your mouth. Why not. Its delicious and 100% good for you, inside and out.

It makes my skin much brighter and softer and just makes me feel more loved. And sometimes… that’s just exactly what we need.

Enjoy. xxoo

Handmade for Christmas. (MULTIPLE GIVEAWAYS)

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It’s the first day of December…it’s the beginning of our silly season. Our family is together, our tree is up and we are gearing up for an exciting month of blogs and stories and give-aways.

I love handmade. Handmade everything. Not only are handmade wares sustainable and fair trade they are also unique and special. When someone gives me a handmade gift I know that it is the product of a persons creativity, and that purchasing home made supports a person, a family, a community – not just a big corporation. It means something to me. It’s more than just a gift, more than just a gesture.

With Christmas just around the corner the department stores are in a flurry of energy. So many people loading up trolleys with the exact same toys, the same flashing lights, the same tank tops and the same holiday garnishes. All of this money goes into big business, which is great for the people who own big businesses but it’s not so great for the little people. The people who choose to work from home, the people who create their own wares or sell others handmade creations.

This Christmas I’m going to try to support local companies and artisans as much as absolutely possible. Buying and making unique and special gifts for my family and friends. And I hope that you will consider doing the same. At least in part. It’s a tough economy for the small businesses out there. But we can all do a little, and if every one of us does a little – a lot can happen.

So in the spirit of giving. I’ve got some awesome give-aways sponsored by some local-Aussie mama’s who are doing some awesome things. Go visit their online stores, browse their wares, and pick up some gifts for yourself and your loved ones from other mamas trying to make their dreams come true. And you know what… you might just win something along the way.

Let me introduce you to some beautiful women and their beautiful products.

Rachel from Yarra River is one fab-mama. She is a mad-thrifter and scours thrift stores and op-shops and trash sales for the perfect finds. Rachel collects unique vintage jewellery and even a few household items and upcycles them (seriously, could she get any cooler?) creating some pretty amazing one-of-a-kind funky pieces. Rachel made me a beautiful name-sake necklace with Bo’s name on it (top), it’s beautiful and will be greatly treasured. The necklace pictured is up for grabs. It’s so pretty, I hardly want to part with it. But it’s this one (oh and this one) that’s on my wishlist for Christmas… Santa, are you listening? Shop for the women in your life on Yarra River and add a few precious pieces to your wish list.

Willow baby is not just another online baby store. When Ashleigh got in touch with me and asked if she could be included, I was really excited. Ashleigh may not make her own products but the little shoes she stocks are handmade in England and she swears by the product, using them to clothe her own little ones little toes. She sent Bo a pair and we LOVE them. These are the best soft soled shoes I’ve found so far and I’ve been looking for them for ages. Bo hates shoes, but not these ones, they were easy for her to crawl in and walk in and they DIDN’T FALL OFF. They are soft, lush and the attention to detail in even the smallest stitching is really lovely. Want your own pair? Willow Baby is offering one lucky winner their choice of a pair of Starchild shoes for the little one in their life. Perfect stocking stuffers for Christmas and all-year-round-gifts!

Two little Ducklings founder and designer Jacinta is a mama after my own heart. Not only is she gentle and kind she has such a quirky design eye and a beautiful little girl the same age as Bo. Two Little Ducklings is her little love child which is just about to make its debut with its own website. This little company holds Jacinta’s big dreams of being a work at home mama and that’s something that is worth supporting. Her products are not only gorgeous but extremely affordable and totally customisable. Two Little Ducklings is offering one winner a customised Christmas card and gift tag set delivered to your door in time for the silly season. Check out the Two little Ducklings facebook page for more great designs.

Last, but certainly not least is Sarah from Homemade Anomalies. These rainbow lovelies and mod-tastic creations are beautiful. Each item is made unique and many out of re-purposed fabrics and upcycled wares. Bo loves the mushroom rattles and has played with them since she was a tiny bub. For me? The womb warmer, awesome during labour, awesome when it’s cold, awesome for Bo’s sore tummy in the middle of the night or just for a bit of extra pampering. For you? Homemade Anomalies is offering a prize pack including one of each (one mushroom rattle and one womb warmer) for one lucky winner. Check out Sarah’s Etsy store for some affordable, awesome and unique presents for the whole family this Christmas. I have a serious love for this one… and this one… and these… with Homemade Anomalies adding new creations to the store all the time (the new jewellery range is lovely!) you just have to keep going back for more.

Would you like to win? Visit the Facebook pages, Websites or Etsy stores of each of these wonderful women and comment below what your favourite item across the board is. Some of my favourites are here and here and here and here. But to choose just one? Better you than me! Share this post far and wide and get these ladies some real exposure, they deserve it.

I will random.org the four winners. The first will get to choose the prize they want and so on until all four prizes are awarded. Because of the nature of this support-local campaign this competition is open to Aussie residents only so as to keep postage costs down for our lovely work-at-home mamas. Sorry international ladies! We have a few great International give-aways that you are eligible for next month… ’tis the season for giving after all!

Good luck! You gotta be in it to win it!

Because the best things in life are handmade.

xox

As always all of the views in this blog are mine and mine alone. I do not charge to write reviews and I keep them as honest as the rest of my writing… Blatantly so.

For the love of Yoghurt…

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Since Bo and I got back from Indo we have been living in haze of uncertainty. I’ve been a bit of an emotional whirlwind and Bo has been getting over a repeat of that awful flu she had just before we left the village. We’ve had more than a bit of time on our hands, and I haven’t really known what to do..

But I have had access to all of these wonderful things that I’ve been without for so many years. I’ve also been thinking a lot about money. Our family relies on my measly freelanced based income (which is pretty minimal when you have a baby that doesn’t sleep) to stay afloat at the moment, and it’s tough going most of the time. So finding creative, healthy and eco-friendly ways to cut costs is right up there on my things to do list.

Given how much yoghurt Bo and I both eat I decided that I should make my own. That way I can be sure it’s organic, baby friendly and packed full of the good stuff AND we could cut some costs. Sounds like a win win to me. I was nervous to try. I’m not so good at following instructions, I’m more of a fake it till you make it kind of girl, especially in the kitchen… which sometimes turns out gloriously and other times, fails miserably. I read lots of instructions online as to how to make yoghurt, but I don’t posses fancy things like candy-thermometers or special metal bowls or any of that sort of thing and damned if I was gonna go out and buy them…

So I read a bit and then I just winged it… and you know what? It worked! It’s so easy, no measuring, no thermometers, no stress yoghurt making. Right here. Right now…

Ingredients:

Milk (however much you need to fill your jar) – I’ve been using full fat fresh milk but apparently low fat works too.
Milk Powder – You can skip this one, I have, but using it makes a much creamier, more set, yoghurt.
Yoghurt starter – You can use the powdered stuff OR you can just use a bit of your favourite yoghurt. I used unsweetened organic natural yoghurt. Just make sure that it has the live culture in it, most good yoghurts do.

Equipment:

Saucepan
Whisk
Oven
Glass Jar – you can use plastic if you want but glass is nicer, and more earth-friendly.

Method:

Preheat your oven to whatever degrees. It doesn’t matter so much cos you are going to turn it off. I usually just cook something. Last night I roasted pumpkin. When the oven is hot (or whatever you are cooking is done) turn the oven off and leave the door CLOSED to hold the heat in.

Whisk together milk and a couple of heaped teaspoons (I never measure, so just use whatever) milk powder in your saucepan. Don’t worry about lumps, they don’t matter.

Turn the heat on and cook the milk until just before it boils. When the little bubbles start forming around the edges and the milk is steaming, turn it off. If you forget, like I have, and it boils, don’t worry about it – it still works – just remove that skin from the top and keep going.

Let the milk cool down till it’s warm but not hot. Stick your finger in, if it burns… wait longer. When it is just warm to touch, that’s pretty good.

Take out a cup of the milk and mix it with your yoghurt starter. Just use a couple of teaspoons of yoghurt starter, it doesn’t seem to matter if you use lots or not too much… Once combined add the cup of mixed milk back into the saucepan.

Pour the yoghurt mixture into a CLEAN jar and pop the lid on. Wrap in a tea towel, cloth nappy, baby blanket – whatever and pop it in your already warm oven. Leave the oven light on but the oven should be off. Close the door.

That’s it. You’re done. I just leave it over night. 12 hours-ish, sometimes longer if I forget. The longer you leave it the more tart and yoghurt-y it becomes. In the morning take the yoghurt out and put it in the fridge. It will last about 2 – 3 weeks, and to make the next batch? Just use a few spoonfuls of THIS batch as your yoghurt starter. That’s right… no more buying commercial yoghurt. Ever.

That’s it. Eat it plain, add fruit, cook with it, yum! So easy. And so cost effective. My guess is each jar (my jars are 950ml) is costing me around $2 max. Compared to $5+ for 500ml of the natural unsweetened yoghurt I usually buy? That’s definite savings.

Do you make your own yoghurt? Do you have any tips? Any tricks? Any awesome ideas? I can’t wait to make coconut yoghurt – just by substituting the cows milk for coconut milk – delicious, healthy and vegan friendly too. That will be next weeks experiment!

xox

Home-made baby bath bomb perfection.

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Some may call it poor planning, others ingenuity, but whichever way you see the journey, here we are. Yesterday we ran out of bathing products for Bo. I’ve only ever used organic, chemical free, planet friendly bath products on Bo’s skin because, well, she’s worth it. Actually it all began in the hospital on day 2 post birth when we gave Bo her very first bath.

J&Js is an extremely popular baby bathing product in Australia (and I’m sure in other parts of the world too), and in the hospital you get a little mini travel pack FREE with every baby. Don’t get too pumped though, don’t just run out and get pregnant for the awesome freebees… I hate to tell you, J&J, in my opinion, is pretty average [crap]. But then, what do I know right? I only ever used it ONCE. Once was more than enough. One squirt of this stuff into the bath water and my beautiful newborns skin was dry and flaky afterwards. Poor poppet. So we donated the stuff to charity because hey, someone might want to use it? And upgraded to organic. Which was great. Never in the past 15 weeks of Bo’s life have we had a problem again.

Until now. Because we are out of products and in the local store is the dreaded J&J and a whole lot of other products that are overpriced and full of chemicals.

So, we made our own. Bo wasn’t much help this time… she was busy trying to roll off the mat.

The Method:

We are pretty limited here with what we can get our hands on. I’d love to use some lavender, or other dried flowers or goats milk soap… but I can’t find anything like that here… so for now we went really simple.

I used quick oats (cos we can’t get rolled outs here) and both peppermint and chamomile tea (I’d have preferred to use the dried flowers/leaves whole but again we have a supply issue here). It really is as simple as that.

Open up the tea bags and mix the two teas together then add the oats.

I used a muslin wrap cut up into pieces… anyone with a baby has a million muslin wraps… we just used an old second hand one. i cut it into squares, added the oat mixture and tied it up in a tight little parcel (with the fabric tie from my pj pants – cos since pregnancy, well, I haven’t really needed to tie my pants up anymore… they are snug enough).

That’s it. At bath time we just pop one of these little parcels into the warm water and squish it around a bit to release all the goodness. I then use it like a sponge on her skin, its really soft and gets in those chubby baby folds really easily, beautiful soft oat milk comes out and cleans her skin as you go. It makes the bath smell lovely (like a big cup of herbal tea) and the oats make her skin super smooth and milky. Baby spa treatment? Bo seemed to think so.

Perfect xox

Howie&Bo

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When Bo was nothing more than a little jelly bean, long before she had a name of her own, long before we knew if she was a she at all – she was given her very first nickname. Howard.

I was back in Australia for my initial 8 week scans and my mother was giving one of her ever-so-helpful spiels of advice. The topic of the day? Baby names. Names one should not call a baby. Howard was one (my apologies to any Howards out there). And since it was name I was not to name my beautiful baby-to-be, Howard became her name.

For the following seven months Bo was affectionately called “Howie” by my mother, her friends, and eventually everyone I knew including my husband and I. Every now and again whilst she is sleeping I whisper secrets in Bo’s ear, secrets addressed to my little Howie… secrets we have been sharing since I first felt her move inside me, secrets that bind us together.

When Bo was about to enter the world I decided that I needed to pass the nickname Howie on to something that my little one could treasure, so we wouldn’t lose our fondness for Howie at after all. So I made the very first “Howie&Me” on her due date…

Howie slept next to my bed for the many nights I tried to get rest, moving my big Bo-belly around uncomfortably – willing my child with all of my might to enter the world. Howie came with us to hospital. As soon as Bo was placed in her bassinett a few hours after she was born, Howie was nestled in beside her immediately.

Howie has become an important member of our little family. When Bo goes to bed, Howie goes too. When Bo wakes up, Howie get’s the biggest smiles… We have been creating a beautiful little photographic timeline for Bo – in leiu of a baby book – in every photo of Bo, there too is Howie.

Bo is my Howie, and this Howie is hers… I can only hope that owl-howie gives Bo the same feeling of love, purpose and comfort as my little Howie does for me.