My herbal list

This year I'm gonna be a herbalist. There is plenty of healthy substances, microelements in the plants everywhere around - in the garden, in the nearby forest.  I made a small to-pick list for each month for me and encourage you to do the same. Wherever you live - whether it's US, Brasilia or New Zeland - there's sure a lot of goods around;)

W tym roku mam zamiar pobawić się w zielarstwo. Zioła są naokoło - w ogrodzie, w lesie - wszędzie. Zrobiła miesięczną listę roślin do zbierania, zachęcam do zrobienia tego samego! Zawsze możecie skorzystać też z mojej listy, polecam spróbować razem ze mną;)

Have a beautiful day,
Julia

Chocolate brownies with raspberry buttercream

The best thing about cold days is that you can finally do something with frozen raspberries that are in your freezer. These brownies have a special function, they brighten up long cold evenings! Chocolate and raspberries, this combination is the best of the best. Just think about it. Yum.

This time I want to give you the recipe in a different way. Here you have two pages from my sketchbook! I hope everything is readable.

Ingredients:

brownies: 100g chocolate, 100g butter, 2 eggs, 100g (or 50g) sugar, 100g flour

cream: 2 cups of raspberries, 130g butter, 3/4 cup of sugar

Have a beautiful day,
Julia

Secret room

Just Imagine that it's real.

PS: Check the sale and new pearl items in the etsy shop! We plane to update the shop this weekend again!

Sketchbook floral cover DIY

Remember the fern sketchbook I posted some time ago? Today I want to show how I made it! It's very easy and quick DIY, so if you have a plain sketchbook/joural/photo album - try this!
(I still don't have properly working camera and that's why I share this a bit archival DIY). 

You'll need a plain sketchbook, flat brushes, vicol (or another decoupage glue), pressed flowers or leaves. 

Paint the first layer of glue and put your design on it. Paint the second layer and let it dry. When it's transparent, put another layer. Repeat this step as many times as it's possible - until your cover is even. That's all!

painting and collecting plants

The poppy sketch turned out entirely different than I previously wanted. Everything because of Regina Spektor's song ('Two birds'). 

Earlier today I was collecting flowers for dry bouquets. Inspired partially by Pinterest partially by my own vision I want to re-decor my room and make a big herbarium on my walls! I have to paint the walls first, then put lot of little nails into it and hang all of my dry bouquets, leaves and flowers!

Is there anyone from Australia who would like to send me a few of their local plants? I'd love to have more of these beauties!

Julia

To do list for summer

As I said yesterday, here's the list of things to do this Summer. Just in case, here it is again:

1. Make stamps - done no 1, done no 2

2. Sew a dream dress - Moreover, I got my sewing machine at the end of September, so there wan no time for this one.

3. Make lavender sachets- done
4. Make an 'all the simple things' project - progress
5. Make a chocolate liqueur - done
6. Watch and photograph birds in the morning - done
7. Make ice cream often - done
8. Watch meteor showers and stars and photograph it all - done
9. Write an e-book about chocolate (with best recipes!) - too early for this
10. Make pinhole camera (again) - done
11. Learn new skills: make a movie - done
12.Make cards and send them to friends - done
13. Organize a craft night/picnic - done
14. Launch an online shop - done
15. Re-decor the bedroom - done
16. Design a fabric - done
17. Write an invisible letter - done

Some of the listed things are simple, quick and easy to make, but the majority is labour- and time-consuming. That's why I decide to start tomorrow and give myself time till the end of September.

PS: Today I made blog buttons, so if you like what I create and want to support my blog grab one from >>HERE<< (you can also find the 'buttons' section in the top horizontal menu).

Inspiration

Recently I've been looking for inspiration. I lost it some time ago, before my exams have started. Stress and lack of sleep aren't inspiring factors at all. I've had a lot of free time this week but I couldn't make anything I would be really proud of.
Today in the morning I was thinking about remaking an old dress I found in my wardrobe. I got an idea as I noticed a fern leaf on my desk (you never know). Then ideas started to fill my head up. I feel so good now, I'm sure a lot of projects will be here soon. Most of them will be probably connected with fern leaves - I'm going to paint, draw, sew, photograpf, press and paint even more.
I think I should announce a fern month.
I have my last exam on Friday and after it I'm back to work!

A journal page I painted today. The scrapbook doesn't have a good paper for watercolour, but who cares? :)

Last two jourmal pages. (yes, I was really told that I look like Boticelli's Venus or Titian's Madonna. Inspite of being plump. I was told that too.)

A little pansy must be everywhere.

Today I've found this little bird.

Here is its caring mother. They are now together again.

Have a good day! 

PS: Today I've found twenty two pansies among the grass in my garden. Twenty two! How could I not notice them before? Pansies were growing near that spot last year, but I didn't know they spread so intensively!