DIY Paper Chandelier

August 9, 2013 ~ Sophie ~ 7 Comments

I was supposed to share this earlier this year but I don’t know what happened. Please don’t ask. This paper chandelier completes the transformation of our room that I talked about at the beginning of this blog here. I will share more of what we did later but I wanted to share this tutorial. It is as easy as 123…ok maybe not ha!

What you will need:

4-6 sheets of white A4 paper
1-3 sheets of colored A4 paper ( I used brown)
A round object(think jar/bottle cover)
A pair of scissors
white sewing thread
Needle
Square wooden frame
Pencil
Tape
Yarn( preferably white though I used orange)

Directions

Using a bottle/jar cover and pencil, trace circles of the white paper
Do the same on the colored paper
Cut out all the circles using the scissors
Using a needle and thread, make two straight holes in the paper circles. One at each end of the circle.
Continue adding the circles on the thread until they are seven circles on each thread.
Tie the end of the thread so the circles will not fall out
Make 16 strings of 7 circles
Using tape, tape the first circle of every string on the wooden square frame
Make sure each side has four strings
Using the yarn, secure the chandelier on the light fixture

PS: The frame has to be light weight to prevent any hazards

And there you have it!

The great thing about this chandelier is that it is so versatile. It works as a chandelier by night and a mobile by day.

Have a great weekend and happy DIYing.

🙂

Sophie

Garlic Breadsticks

July 12, 2013November 25, 2014 ~ Sophie ~ 5 Comments

Bread is so delicious. Especially homemade bread, preferably in a brick oven, in cold weather far away in the country side, served with tea perhaps… or a warm soup…Oh wait ,what am I getting at? Sorry I get carried away (a lot!) when it come to these things. You know the countryside, the warm soup in cold weather…I need to stop. The point is bread is good. And really who wouldn’t love bread in form of sticks? Ok so maybe I am the only one ha! This recipe was inspired by French and garlic bread and thus bread sticks.

4 C All Purpose Baking flour
1/2 C Butter or margarine
1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 C Sugar
4 Cloves Garlic (peeled and chopped)
11/2 C Cold water or Milk
A Pinch of Salt

Directions

In a Large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Rub the butter/margarine in the flour mixture until it becomes coarse.
Add the garlic and continue mixing
Pour in the cold water/milk little by little while mixing until the mixture is a very firm dough.
Continue kneading the dough until it is smooth and isn’t sticking on your hands.
Wrap the dough in cling film and freeze for twenty minutes
Remove from freezer and using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough(you might want to divide the dough into two parts and roll it in batches)until it is 1 inch thick.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into thin strips of about an inch in width.

Now in the next step, I used an oven toaster to bake the bread sticks. I haven’t tried an oven yet. So if you do let me know how it turns out.

Arrange the strips nicely in an oven toaster metal rack and bake for 12 minutes.
When the timer goes off, wait for five more minutes before removing them.Best served warm.

Sophie

PS: The ribbed effect is because of the oven toaster metal rack.

PSS: I think I am getting better at giving directions. Yes? No?

Blogging| Lessons Learned

July 9, 2013 ~ Sophie ~ 8 Comments

Since I am we are still in the mood for celebrating, I wanted to share a few things I have learned through blogging. As the saying goes ‘Experience is the best teacher’, I am going to share some of my experiences and what worked to make the blog what it is now.

When I started Rare Beauty, I had an unclear idea of what I wanted to get across but I knew very well that I wanted a place I could put out my thoughts. Once I sat down and outlined what I really wanted to talk about, it became easier.

Having a working schedule will make publishing easier, reduce burn out and , maintain originality. When I started out on blogging, I came up with an over ambitious schedule of posting twice a week(which makes 8-9 posts a month), but after a month I got burned out. I was too much for me as a beginner. Considering the fact that I still had to work on my grades, work to do and the occasional blackouts and internet failures we face here, I realized it wasn’t gonna work for me. I had to shuffle things up and make my publishing schedule flexible.

Selecting a platform is essential to your blogging experience. You may have to try out more than two to find out what works for you. I started out on WordPress but due to my lack of knowledge with the html area(we used to study it in high school…little did I know that I would need it later), I moved to Blogger and realized it was much more complicated. I proceeded on to Blog because it looked chic and pretty(never judge a book by its cover) but I wasn’t satisfied still. So I went back to WP this time with a positive mind and haven’t looked back ever since.

Consistency is key in developing and growing a blog and I can testify. If you are going to post twice a day, then post twice a day…continuously. If it’s going to be once a week then let it be once a week.

I wrote briefly about sincerity here but there is much more to it. Writing content that is dear to your heart and reflects who you are, content that you will be able to read yourself and enjoy is way better than having to copy.

Discover other blogs and bloggers. Comment, like, share views, guest blog, email and encourage each other. It’s a big world out there and it can be fun.

Most importantly, blogging is something that you have to experience all by yourself to know how fun and amazing it is. So what are you waiting for, start blogging!

🙂

Sophie