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Wicked Halloween Prop | DIY Papier-mâché Spell Book I specifically remember my first encounter with a book prop. I was in my early teens and working on a movie project with my closest friends. We were in need of a vintage-looking fairytale book. The film would open with a storyteller setting the scene; reading those oh-so-well-known first words to young and old:“Once upon a time”The camera would then zoom into the first pages of the book and di

Nailed it | DIY TORTURED CANDLES October has begun. Fall is upon us. Orange is everywhere.While images of crumbling leaves, pumpkin patches and warm apple cider on the stove top do pop into my head most daily, I can’t help but feel more excited about the darker things coming up this month.I certainly drool over the thought of pumpkin-pecan-maple-syrup pie (oh boy!), but that is going to have to wait just a little while longer.

Mother’s Day Gift | DIY SUN CATCHER Summer is on its way, the sun is out, it is hot, make it stop.Ha, just kidding!I’ve been looking forward to the warmer months and the one thing I like the most – apart from dipping my face into ice cream like every day – is the sun flooding my apartment. It’s almost as if I hadn’t noticed how dark the place can get until the sun beams coming glistening in, bouncing from wall to wall, imm

What’s on today? | DIY LETTER BOARD Today I am sharing with you a slightly older craft of mine which I have resurrected: The reader board.Letter boards have been all the rage for a little while now, mostly as a smaller version with little stick-on letters, or as a petite light box.I however am sticking to my larger design which I made a few years ago, mimicking old movie theatre signs. Bringing old Hollywood back into my living room

Bottle it up | STRACCIATELLA CAKE IN A JAR May I have your attention please: The sun is out! I repeat: The sun is out!Which means it is about high time to spend your days out on the balcony. Ideally with a cooling beverage, or as I would prefer, a slice of cake with a scoop of ice cream slowly melting away, oozing over the edges of perfectly baked, crispy golden batter, dripping onto your favorite skirt… YUM!Now I know this isn’t alway

Easter mishap | DIY CRACKED EASTER EGGS I’ve had a blast all day. I’ve been running around with a sad face telling everybody that I spent all morning painting Easter eggs, only to drop them shortly after.It’s funny because it’s not true.I mean, I did spend the morning making yet another batch of personalized Easter eggs, true. But the cracks didn’t occur from a tumble down the stairs, but rather from a carefully placed felt ti

POW! | DIY COMIC BOOK EASTER EGGS "Of all people, you know who I am… Who the world needs me to be. I’m WONDER WOMAN!”Hands down, what I like most about comic books are the strong female characters. They are assertive and in control, they take charge and have a no-bullshit attitude. Are they overly sexualized? Most definitely. I mean, can a jumpsuit be any tighter?But they are also powerful and physically strong. (Which

The Countdown Begins | DIY Advent Calendar In Germany we say: “Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude.“ Which roughly translates to: ”The greatest joy lies in the anticipation [rather than in the event itself].”Perhaps that is why advent calendars are so popular in German-speaking regions. The tradition reaches all the way back to the early 19th century, but even today I can hardly name a family in my immediate surroundings that doesn

Just Bead It | DIY Printing with Beads Looking back at my childhood, I recall fond memories of play dates involving iron-on beads: hundreds (nay, thousands!) covering the living room floor, the smell of plastic in the air, multi-colored heart-shaped coasters, rainbows ranging from grey to brown to grey, and puppies that bear more resemblance to shell fish than a juvenile dog.

Bunny, don’t you worry! | DIY EASTER BOARD GAME "Mensch, ärgere dich nicht“ is a classic German board game that has been played by many over the past hundred years and is still a much-loved pastime. It may even be the most played game in the country! (At least, I weren’t particularly surprised if it were so.) Which is somewhat surprising given that the title in itself is nothing short of a warning label.A quick glance at the game’s

Sunny Side Up! | DIY TRIANGLE EASTER EGGS I do like eggs. Particularly in the mornings and in all the many ways they can be prepared – scrambled, boiled, poached, over-easy, you name it. Great on toast, plain, or with sauce and packed with proteins to make me feel like I’ve made a healthy choice.Though I do steer away from green eggs and ham. After all, my name isn’t Sam. So that explains a lot.

DIY PAPER SNOWFLAKE EASTER EGGS Revisited Unless you live in a self-made iglo-settlement (DIY or die!) somewhere in the vast snow-scape that is Antarctica, I‘m sure you’ve noticed by now that SPRING IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!! It’s true, ditch the mittens, the wollen blankets disguised as shawls and the hot cocoa – wait, maybe not the cocoa – because Hallelujah, the sun has come out!Now, whether this gets you all excited, becau

Boo! | DIY STRING ART PUMPKINS It's the Halloween weekend and I’ve already spent a good ten minutes this morning practicing my horror grimace in anticipation of the trick-or-treaters. I’m getting pretty good at the undead-but-not-yet-starved Zombie face. Though on second thought, that could just come down to the cold I caught weighing down my facial features; and the smell of baked apples in the oven giving me the rumbl

Season‘s Change | DIY PAINTED SUNGLASSES Fall is fast approaching - my favorite season, minus the freezing temperatures and mud-stained carpets. I’m also not a big fan of rain boots despite living in the UK that one time. I never could make them look cool on me, them Wellies.I will however forever enjoy sipping mulled wine amidst rainbow-colored leaves dancing in the golden sunlight. And knitted everything.Speaking of that blinding l

All Dressed Up | DIY PAPER ENVELOPES Yes,I am still writing letters. And yes, I am still looking for the best ways to dress up said letters and make them stand out of the crowd.I’m on a mission, really.The goal is that one day the mailman will no longer need to stop and wonder “Whoever sent this lovely note?” (as mailmen typically do). Because he’ll already know. In his new-found wisdom, he’ll be thinking “This strikin

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Make Yourself at Home | DIY GUEST TRAY Summer time means vacation time! Beach huts, oversized hats, tan lines and freshly squeezed lemonade! What more could you need? Besides a million bucks and an Academy Award, that is.But while that's all peachy and nobody wants it to end, it's time to face the facts: Summer is already coming to a close. I know, I know! I didn't want to say it, but really there was no way avoiding it! Th

Bottle It Up | LEMON & YOGHURT CAKE IN A JAR I'm not sure why I've kept this recipe from you for so long. Because it is simply divine.And I know what you're thinking.No blogger has ever put a recipe out there without claiming it to be "the world's best", "a must-try" and "grannies favorite".As I am not a qualified baker and have no professional culinary training whatsoever, I don't even want