Show and Tell: Stripey Name Bunting

Show and Tell: Stripey Name Bunting

For ages now, like years even, I've been wanting to make my own fabric bunting. Ridiculous I know, considering what a beginner project this is! Now that I have a sewing machine, all my bunting dreams have come true! :D

I was able to sew this up in a matter of hours- from cutting to hanging. That is quite an achievement I have to say! 

I used a pattern for the size I wanted, you can find it here. The fabrics are from the remnants bin at Spotlight. I won't go into massive details about how I made my bunting, as I think most sewers have an idea and it's not that hard. So just quickly, my flags are double sided with a smaller piece of interfacing between; I used a zigzag stitch for everything including attaching the binding; and I used a glue gun to attach the wooden letters to the flags.

Something quick and fun to brighten up my little boy's bedroom and go with his new big boy bed. Sometimes the quickest, easiest crafts turn out to be the best!

Originally I was trying to find some black and white checkered fabric so I could go with more of the racing-car theme, but in the end, I think the blue and red colours look great. It's not over the top, blends in well with the rest of the decor, but is fun and bright at the same time.

Happy Making! 

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

You may have noticed if you've been reading along for a while, that the recipes I share are not usually super healthy! It's not to say that they are bad for you (some are!) but more that I use regular ingredients and generally lots of sugar and carbs! Sometimes I feel a bit afraid of all the so-called "superfoods". Often it's because I don't know what they are, and sometimes it's because they're really expensive so not something I could justify eating on a regular basis (I know, what price can you put on your health?!). I like to think I eat a fairly balanced and varied diet, with a few treats as well. I try not to think about foods being "good" or "bad", rather just eat lots of different thinks and think about things like portion size instead (great article about this topic here). 

I was also gifted a special bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Christmas. It's a bottle of a very limited run from a private Olive Grove up north. I feel very honoured to have some! It's best suited for salads and dressings so it's perfect in this recipe.

Anyway, with that rather long preamble, the other day I decided I would try cooking with Quinoa. I had a yummy salad over the holidays, which was the first time I've ever eaten it.  I just added a few things together that I thought would go well together, and voila! My Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad was born!

This recipe serves one as a tasty lunch. Obviously adjust the ingredient quantities to make for a whole family or as a side dish. If you have the chance, cook the Quinoa ahead of time so everything can be thrown together. 

Marie's Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

(Serves 1)

Ingredients

¼ cup (uncooked) Quinoa 

A handful of baby spinach leaves; and/or

A handful of Kale or baby Kale

1 Tbsp fine chopped fresh Parsley

1 Tbsp fine chopped  fresh Mint

3-4 Cherry Tomatoes, chopped, or 1 regular Tomato

3 dried dates, chopped

1 Tbsp Slivered Almonds or Cashews

*Optional: 

30g Plain or Flavoured Feta

Dressing

½ lemon

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

Cook Quinoa. Bring double the quantity of water to boil (For ¼ Quinoa, cook in ½ cup water), simmer for approximately 10 mins, they turn heat off and allow remaining liquid to absorb. Allow to cool to room temperature and fluff with fork.

In a bowl, add dressing ingredients together. Add spinach/kale, parsley,mint and tomatoes to dressing and toss to coat. 

Add cooled Quinoa and mix, add chopped dates and almonds and stir to combine all ingredients. 

Eat and enjoy!

Best eaten fresh. You can prepare the Quinoa ahead of time and chop ingredients. As the Spinach and Kale absorb liquid easily, they will wilt if left in the dressing for a long time.