dyeing fabrics

Hi there,

Today I was feeling homesick and was going through all my Summer 14 pictures, and found these ones. I remember it as a very creative and fun afternoon.
we had some cotton fabrics,( it has to be cotton, otherwise the dye will not come out as intense) and we spent a couple of hours tying the fabric with all sorts of different knots, can be a bit boring, but so worth it, the more intricate, the better, and the tighter you make the knots, the more contrast will show later. we didn't think too much about it, but there are loads of things you can use, from buttons to lids, from twigs to elastic bands and the internet is full of very nice tutorials..anything can make a surprisingly beautiful pattern ..
the dye we had was Dylon, to be used with boiling water, (always follow the brand instructions, as there is some dyes for cold water, washing machine...)
 so we got a big pot my father uses for when he mixes the cement for building (do not use any pot that you will use for cooking food)
and we followed the below procedure:
soak the fabric in a bucket with cold water
meanwhile put water on a pot to heat
once the water is boiling, add some salt and the dye
add the fabric to the boiling water and leave it for 20 minutes, stirring it frequently
once the time is over, take out the fabrics and rinse with cold water, add some vinegar on the last rinse (water has to come out clear) to fix colour to the fabric.
and then ... undo all the knots and leave it to dry! it's so so soooo much fun, like magic!
definitely will be doing it again ... maybe with Indigo?
It's always recommended to use a colour catcher the first time you wash this fabrics.

night night x

Homemade marigold (calendula officinalis) cream

Hi there!

I always had very delicate skin, it's extremely dry and sensitive, so finding the perfect cream can sometimes be tricky, when I recently went to visit my mum, she suggested that we could prepare this very simple cream using only 3 ingredients.

My mum had some dried marigolds ready to be used :)
we're also very lucky because our neighbour is a bee keeper, so he very kindly gave us for free some bees wax, together with a pot of yummy organic honey,
the only ingredient we had to buy was almond oil (they sell it most pharmacies)

I use this cream every morning after the shower, and every night, not only for the face, but also my legs and arms are looking much better since I started using it.


Ingredients:

1/2 litre sweet almond oil or virgin extra olive oil
(almond oil seems to penetrate better the skin than olive oil)
50 grs of bees wax
150 grs fresh  common marigold flowers or 50 grs of dried flowers
Cheese cloth or similar (very thin cotton)

How to prepare it:

Cook (infuse) the flowers in the oil for an hour, at a very low temperature so they don't fry.
Drain the flowers and leave them to cool down, meanwhile, put the bees wax in the pot with the oil and once it's dissolved completely squeeze the juice of the cooled flowers with the cloth back into the oil mixture, blend well and filter,
put the mixture into little pots (you have to be quick , as the cream will start to settle down as soon as it's out of the heat)
I suggest you label the pots with the date, they can be stored in a dark cool place up to two years

Properties:

as well as keeping my skin hydrated, it antiseptic, fungicide and has a anti-inflammatory action

enjoy! x