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Chainmaille Wallet Chain

February 8, 2019 By sue Leave a Comment

Chainmaille Wallet Chain

A chainmaille wallet chain (and/or a key chain) is a quick and easy gift to make - particularly for a male. It is perfect for someone who is a keen traveller and would appreciate a bit more security for a wallet they keep in their trousers pocket. Wallet chains first came into fashion in the 1950s in the biker subculture as a pragmatic way of keeping their wallets safe as they rode at speed. In the 1970s wallet chains were incorporated into punk dress both as a way of preventing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craftroom, Gift Ideas, Jewellery Tagged With: Gift Ideas, Jewellery Techniques

Lavender Shortbread Recipe

March 26, 2017 By sue 1 Comment

This Lavender Shortbread Recipe is very simple, has a delicious flavour and is perfect to give as a gift. The biscuits (or the dough) can be kept in the freezer for when you need a little something to give to someone. You can experiment with different shaped cookie cutters if you want or use a letter press to stamp words into your shortbread as I did. Ingredients 250 g butter 3/4 cup icing sugar 2 tablespoons of finely chopped dried or fresh lavender flowers 2 cups flour pinch of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: Edible Flowers, Gift Ideas, Lavender, Recipe

Making Chain Maille Jewellery

February 6, 2017 By sue Leave a Comment

Making Chain maille jewellery

I have got the bug for making chain maille jewellery - big time! I have been experimenting with lots of different chain maille designs and will share some of these with you. Since I managed to find a source of the required jumprings so that I didn't have to make my own like my friend Elena (see my earlier post for some of Elena's beautiful pieces) life has become so much easier for me to pursue this interest. Elena makes all her materials from scratch from copper or silver wire but the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craftroom, Gift Ideas, Jewellery Tagged With: Gift Ideas, Jewellery Techniques

Lemon, Honey & Ginger Syrup

July 8, 2016 By sue 5 Comments

Lemon, Honey & Ginger

Lemon, Honey & Ginger Syrup is perfect for soothing those winter sore throats and giving a boost to your immunity. It is quick and easy to make and a perfect gift for someone who's not feeling well. Just add a couple of spoonfuls to a cup of hot water. You will need: a biggish piece of fresh ginger (about 100g) 1 cup honey 1 cup fresh lemon juice (6 medium lemons) Slice the ginger thinly. Boil ginger with 1 cup water in a small heavy-based saucepan for about 5 minutes, stirring … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Drinks, Gift Ideas, Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: Drinks, Gift Ideas, Ginger, Honey, Lemon, Recipes

Lavender Syrup Recipe

March 16, 2016 By sue Leave a Comment

I have been growing lots of herbs and other edible flowers, so when I saw this simple lavender syrup recipe I just had to try it.  It has a wonderful summery flavour, and is delicious mixed with a fresh berry and nectarine fruit salad or drizzled over grilled peaches.  Poured into decorative bottles it makes a great gift - combine it with some lavender or vanilla sugar for a sweet treat for someone. 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise or 2 tsp vanilla extract grated … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: Gift Ideas, Lavender, Recipe

Summer Hair Repair and Mask

February 17, 2016 By sue Leave a Comment

Pour into containers to set

I've always liked the idea of making my own natural health and beauty products, and have been spurred on to try some of them. So far these have turned out to be very easy but many of the creams and lotions have daunted me with recipes requiring you to create different phases at different temperatures and combining them at different times.  I've been easing myself in gradually by making some of the simpler recipes to start with. See list at the end of the post for other simple recipes to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty, Craftroom, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Bath and Beauty, Gift Ideas

Lavender & Other Flavoured Sugars

December 15, 2015 By sue Leave a Comment

When I was making Lavender & Lemon Cheesecake, the recipe called for some lavender sugar to decorate it with.  I know sugar is seen as something we should be reducing in our diets but flavouring sugar makes it a treat that we can enjoy just a little of to make something really special. Making lavender sugar couldn't really be any simpler: mix lavender flowers and sugar and leave in a jar for at least a week. You can use fresh or dried lavender flowers - just make sure you are using … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: Gift Ideas, Lavender, Recipe

Making Liquid Soap

November 27, 2015 By sue Leave a Comment

In an earlier post I talked about making handmade gift soaps. Of course once I'd got enthusiastic about making these, someone made the comment that nobody uses solid soaps these days.  Of course this is totally untrue but it made me think about how you could make gifts of liquid soaps. I tried a recipe for a simple liquid soap made from bar soap: pour 3 cups hot water over 3-4 tbsps of grated soap leave it overnight to set - it becomes a firm jelly (I couldn't believe that it would but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty, Craftroom, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Bath and Beauty, Gift Ideas

Cool Weird Stuff for Kids

November 21, 2015 By sue 4 Comments

One of my nephews included "Cool Weird Stuff" on his list of presents he wanted for his birthday. Then he crossed it out, uncertain of how that might be interpreted. Presents from Auntie Sue will have certainly fallen into the 'weird' category compared with everything else they have got but hopefully some of them have also been considered 'cool' (perhaps when no-one else is around). I have often heard award-winning scientists saying that they were inspired by a microscope they were given when … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cards, Craftroom, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Gift Ideas, Kids crafts

Cards using Photos from a Special Outing

January 21, 2015 By sue Leave a Comment

If you have been on an outing somewhere for a special occasion and have taken some nice photos, turning those photos into cards as a gift for people that have shared that outing with you can be a fun thing to do. I had a trip to Hobbiton recently with my brother and nephews to celebrate Thomas' birthday and it was an extremely photogenic location (see my earlier post). I printed out several of the best photos and turned them into a set of cards that I included in my home-made Christmas … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cards, Craftroom, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Card Techniques, Gift Ideas, Hobbiton, Middle Earth, New Zealand

Life’s Bounty is about all the things I enjoy experiencing, creating, and sharing. Join me as I travel in search of new experiences; coax more produce from my backyard in Auckland, New Zealand and preserve the harvested bounty; and try my hand at making anything from cider to jewellery to cards to gift packs of soap.
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