Footsie-Mojito!

So I can't drink a real Mojito at the moment, but there's nothing stopping me sticking my puffy toes in one! On a hot day, this is a blinder of a time-out, freshens your toes and cools you right down.

You will need:
The peel and juice of one lime
A few peeled strips of root ginger (always prefer ginger ale in the real ones to soda)
A handful of ice cubes
Two tablespoons of sugar (keeps feeties soft)
3 stalks of mint from the garden, rinsed of ladybugs and squashed a bit

Combine all in a bowl, top up halfway with water (fizzy if you are posh and like the bubbles to tickle your toes), insert hot feet and close eyes.

(replace the water for ginger ale and a straw, or even better -and 12 months down the line- a slug of rum and soda, restrain your feet, pour into glass and enjoy the proper way!)

Other suggestions for cooling down include:

Stringing a king-size bedsheet out of the upstairs window, and anchoring to the spare bed, and two points of the deck. Neighbours thought I was bonkers, but this ad-hoc garden sail really is the business!

Fan-tastic Fan -originally intended to stop the dog getting her nose too close, these ribbons also put off crawling toddlers and look pretty neat too. I snipped out the annoying ones that you get inside tops and dresses (does anyone use these when hanging stuff up?) and looped them through.

Broken bits and pieces...

It's got bad enough to clear out my jewellery box -and I found these broken pieces at the bottom, laid them out, played about with the arrangement and strung them back together. Quick, easy and cheaper than popping to the shops. Enjoy.x

Be Mine

 

Having eaten countless packets of Love Hearts over the past few months to satisfy pregnancy cravings, I was staring at the packaging and thought about making something similar out of felt and thread. Starting with yet another roll of the sweeties, I ate all the 'cheesy' lines ("text me" being one of the first) and decided to work on what was left.

These little sachets are filled with dried Hitchin Lavender (grown about 4 miles down the road from my house and picked up on the way to get my son from nursery so minimal stitching footprint) and each have a little label looped over to hang from bedframes (perfect for fidgetty sleepers), or on a coat hanger (pesky clothes moths love tweed, but hate lavender). Pop them in your drawer with your drawers and smile in the mornings!

You will need:
Pale coloured felt
Pastel embroidery threads
Ribbon or tape (for the hanging loop)
Slightly thicker lining fabric/dense wadding
Dried Lavender or any other dried herb you like
A cup or glass to draw around
A pencil
Scissors
A packet of Love Hearts

To make:
Open your sweeties and eat all the ones you can't bear to embroider. Then, draw around a suitable circle twice on the felt and once on the lining and cut out. Trim down the lining so it sits 5mm in from the edge of the felt (so your edges aren't too bulky). Sit one felt circle to one side.

Fold the front circle in half and draw half a heart (but not half-heartedly), unfold and copy to the other side. Your stitching will cover the line. Place the lining on the reverse, centrally, then pick a colour of thread (I use two strands) and chain stitch the heart. I like to start at the top, work down then go back to the top and down for the other side, but I'm a pedant who likes stitching all facing the right way. Add the lettering in chain stitch.Then in an equally pale thread (one strand only) pick out the inner and outer of the heart and the circle at the edge of the lining (in a simple running stitch -just keep it small).

Cut a loop of ribbon (or name-tape), about two inches long, fold in half and sandwich between the front and back felt circle. Using two strands of the pale thread, sew the two together including the ribbon all the way around in running stitch. About and inch and a half from the end, pause, and using a spoon, tip in some lavender, then close the gap. Done!