A Summary with References of Blogs 701-750

A number of people have mentioned that they find it difficult to find specific blogs among the growing list of published blogs. This gave me the idea of publishing a summary of previously published blogs, with links and photo references. This way you only need to save a handful of blogs which can easily be accessed to navigate to the blogs you are looking for. This is the fifteenth of these Index Blogs.

Blog 701 - Blending Coloured Pencils With Rubbing Alcohol
"When considering the properties of colouring pencils, in an effort to come up with easier ways of blending, it occurred to me that I may be able to use Rubbing Alcohol to achieve the desired results. Once this ideas was born, I simply had to put it to the test. I was tremendously impressed with the results and could barely wait to share it with all of you. As always, I tried the technique with a range of pencils and then coloured a whole picture, with proper shading, to see the final results. If you love colouring, I guarantee you will enjoy this! I took the picture from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 702 - A Summary with References of Blogs 651-700
"A number of people have mentioned that they find it difficult to find specific blogs among the growing list of published blogs. This gave me the idea of publishing a summary of previously published blogs, with links and photo references. This way you only need to save a handful of blogs which can easily be accessed to navigate to the blogs you are looking for. This is the fourteenth of these Index Blogs.

Blog 703 - Baking A Carrot & Poppy Seed Ring
"I was experimenting with healthier variations for breads when it suddenly dawned on me that I was attempting to reinvent the wheel. Cakes had already paved the way! There are few cakes as delicious as a carrot cake. Why not take from this, leave out the sweets, swap the flours and bake a bread. I experimented a little with this idea and the recipe I share today is the result. I added some poppy seeds for subtle flavour, but mostly for visual appeal. Those black seeds against the golden backdrop makes one salivate!"

Blog 704 - Make A Giant Butterfly Card From Your Coloured Pictures
"A couple of blogs ago I shared some tips for blending your coloured pencil work with rubbing alcohol. At the time, I mentioned that I would be using the picture I demonstrated on, in an upcoming blog. Today, I use that particular picture to make a giant card. We do some layering and dimensional work, among other nifty tricks of the trade."

Blog 705 - Sewing A Girls' Dress With A Double Bodice
"Not too long ago, I had to replace a zipper that had stripped. I kept the old zipper, thinking that I might be able to do something with it. I got my chance today when I used it as decorations on a dress I made for my niece. I also show you how to sew a dress with a double bodice, rather than facings, and a pleated skirt, in today's blog."

Blog 706 - Sewing A Lined Skirt
"There is such beautiful sheer fabric on the market that one sometimes can not resist buying this. I had some of these see-through fabric left over from a project and decided to turn this into a skirt for my older niece. However, that would mean that I would have to line the skirt if she were to have any hope of wearing it. I show you how to line a skirt with an elastic waist in today's blog."

Blog 707 - Making Traditional Cabbage-Wrapped Meatballs
"My grandmother used to make us meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves. I absolutely adored these. After my grandmother passed away, there was no one to make these any more. That was when I decided to step up and do it myself. It doesn't sound great, but wait till you taste these. Even the teenage boys in my life had to concede that it tastes 'brilliant', after initially pulling their noses up at it. Here is to reviving a traditional dish!"

Blog 708 - Make A Charm & Bead Bracelet With Matching Earrings
"I have shared a blog with you in which I made a charm bracelet. Today's blog can be seen as a continuation on that one. We take it one step further in today's blog, when we 'weave' beads onto the charm bracelet, although I do start a new charm bracelet from scratch. To top it off, I then make a cute pair of matching earrings for the bracelet."

Blog 709 - Sewing A Girl's Strap Dress With A Lined Skirt
"In a previous blog I told you about some sheer fabric I used to make a lined skirt from. I now only had tiny pieces of this fabric left over, but it would be enough to make a dress from for a little girl. Today's dress has a lined skirt, strap top and a bow. I show you step by step how to make this."

Blog 710 - Sewing Boy's PJ Pants With A Fringed Scarf
"I find it marvelous to see how one can still make children's clothes from pieces of fabric that is way too small to make anything for an adult from. This is exactly what I did with today's piece of leftover flannel. I cut a pair of pajama bottoms from it for my nephew and then had a long thin piece left over that I could turn into a scarf. He looked like a little boxer! I show you how easy this quick project is to do in today's blog."

Blog 711 - Sewing A Wide Skirt With Side Pockets
"Sewing a wide skirt is possibly one of the easiest patterns to make. However, side pockets can be a little tricky to attach. I show you how to add side pockets to a wide skirt in today's blog. Following step by step, should make it easy for you to make your own skirt with side pockets without any difficulty.

Blog 712 - Sewing A Girl's Dress With A Re-purposed Frill
"I am still hard at work sewing dresses for my niece. As I was planning today's dress, once again working with small pieces of leftover fabric, my eye fell on a bed frill that my mom had taken off a comforter more than a decade ago already. Somehow this had never been thrown out. It occurred to me that this could be a lovely addition to the dress. I show you how to incorporate quirky items like these into your projects in today's blog. I also show you how to cut your pattern from an existing dress."

Blog 713 - Baking Breakfast Buns Using A Sourdough Starter
"Today's buns are packed with all the goodies we normally find on the breakfast table. This is a slightly heavier bun that is packed with nutrients and roughage. The incorporation of oats is also beneficial to diabetics. You will love the flavours and crunch that these buns pack. As normal, I use a sourdough starter to make the buns rise, but discuss the use of alternative raising agents in the text."

Blog 714 - Sewing A Basic Top With An Under-stitched Facing
"We make a very basic top in today's blog. I take my time to show you how to use facings and what to do to keep them from popping out and unwanted times. There are a couple of tricks you need to know to sew a proper facing and I discuss these in today's blog."

Blog 715 - Baking A Cereal Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"Today's loaf is very similar to the Breakfast buns we baked a couple of blogs ago. It is a very crusty loaf, that is filled with flavour and nutrients as a result of all the grains that go into it. This loaf is very filling and will last you a long while. I love this for breakfast in the mornings and it goes brilliantly with egg."

Blog 716 - Sewing A Jacket With A Draped Lapel
"The Jacket we will be sewing today has a draped lapel that reminds one of a scarf. What makes it completely different from other jackets, is that it has no facings. That means that we have to finish the edges very neatly. It also makes it ideal for use with fabric choices that have two distinct sides. I walk you through the steps for making this jacket in today's blog."

Blog 717 - Sewing A Skirt & Vest The Old-Fashioned Way Part 1
"My mom had saved some very old patterns from when she was still young and I happened upon some of these the other day. Ever since then, I had been wanting to try my hand at sewing a pattern the old-fashioned way. I will be making some adjustments to accommodate new products, and I will try to give the old pattern a more modern twist, but I invite you to venture down memory lane with me in this fun sewing project. In this first blog of a two-part series, I sew a skirt."

Blog 718 - Sewing A Skirt & Vest The Old-Fashioned Way Part 2
"In the previous blog I told you about my mom having saved some very old patterns from when she was still young and me happening upon some of these. Ever since then, I had been wanting to try my hand at sewing a pattern the old-fashioned way. I will be making some adjustments to accommodate new products, and I will try to give the old pattern a more modern twist, but I invite you to venture down memory lane with me in this fun sewing project. In this second blog of a two-part series, I sew a vest, a.k.a. a waistcoat."

Blog 719 - Sewing A Rag Doll Part 1
"Back when I was in standard 7, nowadays called Grade 9, we made a rag doll in our Home Economics class. Rummaging through old patterns, saw me stumbling across the pattern for the rag doll. It had always been at the back of my mind to try this again someday and it would seem that someday had arrived! Over the course of the next two blogs, you can help me make sense of this very badly copied pattern and very poor pattern instructions as we make a rag doll together."

Blog 720 - Sewing A Rag Doll Part 2
"In the previous blog, we started work on a rag doll that I had last made back when I was still at school. We stumbled through the pattern and made the doll. Now it is time to clothe her and put some pretty hair upon her head. I show you how to do this in today's blog."

Blog 721 - Baking Calzone Using A Sourdough Starter
"Calzone is basically a pizza that has been folded over to take the shape of a traditional pie. In today's blog we mix the dough, using our sourdough starter to add flavour. I give you some ideas for a filling and then I show you how to fold it so that the goodness is trapped inside the calzone. Your family will love this one. What I like about this, is that you can hold the calzone in your hand and eat it on the go. That is, if you can wait for it to cool down first!"

Blog 722 - Baking Sour-milk Buns Using a Sourdough Starter
"My mom had made us some hamburger patties and chicken fillets and talked about getting some buns in town. I stopped her and told her that I would quickly bake us some fresh buns. I knew the sour-milk buns would go wonderfully with both meats, especially the chicken and started mixing the dough. As I had not shared this recipe with you before, I grabbed the camera to record the steps as I went along."

Blog 723 - Baking A Ginger Beer Bread Using A Sourdough Starter
"Today's loaf is a truly interesting one, and not what you would imagine it to be at first glance. It has absolutely nothing in common with ginger bread cookies, but is an actual loaf of 'everyday' bread. What I have done, is to add actual ginger beer, not ginger ale, to the dough as added raising agent, along with the sourdough starter. You can always swap out the ginger beer for actual beer in this recipe, but that feint whiff of ginger in the background, gives this loaf extra flavour in my opinion."

Blog 724 - Baking Peach Pudding Using A Sourdough Starter
"It is summer and the trees are ripe with peaches. Sadly, one of the branches of the tree with cling peaches, gave way under the weight of the fruit. We recovered the fruit was ripe and near ripe to eat or bottle, but I had another idea for at least some of these. As I was already busy baking bread, I decided to make us a 'bread pudding' by mixing up a special dough and then wrapping it around some peaches. A thin custard to pour over the bread after it is baked, and we had a delicious 'fresh' pudding."

Blog 725 - School Holiday Project: Hand-painting Cushions
"In today's blog, I have the kids paint their own scatter cushions for their rooms. They each chose a design of their liking and I helped them to transfer the design to fabric. They were then introduced to fabric paint and given a chance to paint their own cushions. When they were done, I sewed the painted designs into cushions and they had fun stuffing them, before I showed them how to sew them closed by hand."

Blog 726 - Decorating A Jewelry Box
"I was given a small wooden jewelry box to decorate for a little girl's room. This meant a preparation of the surface, paint, decoupage and all sorts of fun things to add before the project was done. You may have your own ideas for colour choices, or paper motifs, when decorating your own boxes, but following these steps will get the job done in next to no time."

Blog 727 - Baking A Triple C Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"Today's loaf uses three words starting with C to derive its taste from. We add Cocoa, Coffee and Chilies to the dough! None of theses flavours will dominate the loaf, but each is added in moderation, resulting in mildly flavoured loaf that is good for your normal everyday loaf, but will impress your guests at a dinner party as well. The rich brown colour adds visual interest and will have everyone guessing as to how you achieved it."

Blog 728 - Paint A Potted Tree Using Blackboard Paint
"I am hard at work making Christmas gifts for the loved ones in my life. These include two little girls. I decided to paint a fun picture to decorate one of their rooms and as I was getting my material together, decided that I may as well do this in Blackboard Paint, as this would give it both decorative value, as well as being useful for drawing on. I show you a borrowed, but neat trick, for effortlessly painting those flowers in the blog."

Blog 729 - Baking Two-Toned Garlic Braids Using A Sourdough Starter
"These buns are absolutely delicious with a braai. I mix two kinds of dough, a wholewheat and a white one, and then I braid the dough together to make these buns that are both packed with flavour, as well as being visually appealing. Your guests will admire the beauty of the bakes and when they get to the taste, they will be in awe."

Blog 730 - Making Traditional Dutch Croquettes
"I was first introduced to croquettes by a Dutch colleague, who had made some for the staff. I could not believe how delicious this variation of meatballs was! When I visited the Netherlands a couple of years later, I was astonished to find that this delicatessen was widely available as a fast food from take-away stalls. I was excited to buy some, but incredibly disappointed at the taste. The fast food market did not deliver the traditional croquette, but merely a rushed reminder of it. There was only one thing to do; learn to make them myself! I share this very traditional recipe with you in today's blog."

Blog 731 - Fold A Sliding Card & Presentation Sleeve For Your Home-Made Jewelry
"It is time to give gifts of love and care and I have saved today's blog specifically with this in mind. I show you how to fold a sleeve from paper with a sliding card to write a special message on. We then slide another card in there, but this time we turn the card into a backing board to present a special gift of jewelry, effectively turning the card into a parcel. Quick, easy and pretty, you will love this blog."

Blog 732 - Cardmaking: Gratitude Through Fruitful Abundance
"There comes a time in all of our lives where we need to thank someone for doing so spectacularly special that words alone will not do it. Those are the times when I wish to pen those words on a special card so they can be read repeatedly. Cards also make great company for gifts! I show you how to make this lovely card in today's blog, capturing fruitful abundance in the generous pumpkin and the seed-filled sunflowers."

Blog 733 - School Holiday Project: All About Shapes, Colours & Glittering Pictures
"The educational value of today's blog can not be overrated. We show the kids how to draw a butterfly step by step, using the most common shapes. This serves as a really good exercise in getting acquainted with shapes. We then shape-code the colouring process, serving as a lesson in colours as well shape identification in a search. We also do a bit of mirror drawing. Then, just as things start to get too educational, we leave off to have fun by painting the whole picture with an Epsom salt solution that dries into shiny crystals. Who said learning couldn't be fun as well?"

Blog 734 - School Holiday Project: Make A Beaded Ring
"Today's project is aimed at younger girls. It is a really quick one where I show how to make beaded rings. The tricky part is connecting the two ends of the thread, but I share an easy trick that solves this problem without any hassles. This project can be as cheap, or as expensive as the beads you select to use."

Blog 735 - Jewelry Making: Make A Corded Necklace With A Charm
"Time to plan your outfit for the New Year's bash? How about taking some fun time out of the day to make yourself a pretty new necklace, complete with a contemporary and unexpected charm? This necklace may appear to be intricate at first glance, but I will show you how easy it is to do in reality. Prepare to dazzle your friends and family!"

Blog 736 - Cardmaking: Dance The Flamenco
"The year is running out and lots of us are preparing to dance into the new year. If you will be attending such an event, then the card we make in today's blog, is just for you. I show you how to make a lovely card to thank your hostess and to wish her a happy new year. This flamenco dancer is sure to warm hearts."

Blog 737 - Baking A Fruity Pudding
"It has been months since Christmas, and yet I never got around to sharing my recipe for a fruity Christmas pudding with all of you. This pudding is filled to the hilt with fruit and is sure to touch the hearts of all the fruit cake lovers out there. It seems intricate, but is actually very easy to make. I show you how in a few simple steps in today's blog."

Blog 738 - Bake A Fruit & Seed Beer Bread Using A Sourdough Starter
"I was looking for a delicious new bread to accompany a braai we were going to have when I was reminded of the Christmas pudding I had baked in December. Everyone seemed to love the fruit, so why not add that to a brand new bread recipe? I added some seeds and used beer (actually well fermented ginger beer) to assist in the raising process. This free-form bread was such a hit that people went for seconds on the bread. This is normally unheard of when there is still meat left on the table. I decided to share the recipe so you can enjoy it too."

Blog 739 - Baking Apples On The Braai
"There isn't always time for intricate puddings when you are preparing for a braai. The apple tree in the back garden was groaning under the weight of the fruit and I have had numerous requests for Apple Pie. Yet, I simply could not get around to it. As a compromise, I baked some apples on the braai and served it with custard. This quick and easy way of preparing apples holds all the nostalgia of apple pie, without the effort. I share this delicious and healthy alternative to puddings with you in today's blog."

Blog 740 - School Holiday Project: Painting Flowers Using Toilet Rolls
"Today's blog is a fun one with which to teach the difference between circles and ovals. We use a toilet roll to stamp the outlines of the flowers onto the paper, before colouring the flowers in with paint. The project also teaches some brushwork techniques and the kids usually love the outcome of the vibrant flowers. An added advantage is that kids get to work with overlapping pictures and learn to deal with these."

Blog 741 - Bake A Sweetcorn & Onion Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"Today's loaf should not be confused with traditional corn bread. Rather, it is a normal everyday loaf that has been flavoured with sweetcorn and fried onions to make it a tad more interesting. We also add a bit of fresh paprika on top of using our sourdough starter to make it rise. As always, alternative raising agents are discussed in the recipe. This is a wonderful alternative to your normal bread that will have everyone coming back for seconds."

Blog 742 - Making Green Fig Jam
"With all the rain we've been having, the fruit trees in the back garden, is competing with each other to see which can produce the biggest, the juiciest, and the most fruit. The fig tree might just be winning the race. Sadly, a large branch broke off due to the weight of the fruit and we had to recover whatever fruit we could from it. This is an excellent opportunity to make old-fashioned green fig jam. I learn with you in today's blog, allowing my mom's wisdom and experience to lead the way."

Blog 743 - Preserving Apple Slices
"With the figs turned into jam, it became urgent to devote some attention to the apple tree, which was also straining under the weight of its own fruit. My mom and I sliced these apples into thin slices, before bottling them for the winter, when our willing tree is bare. I show you step by step how easy this is to do in today's blog."

Blog 744 - Making Apple & Rhubarb Chutney
"We had a couple of small pieces of apple left over from the when we were bottling our apples, in the previous blog. I decided to turn these into chutney, using the rhubarb in the front garden to add more dimension to the chutney. This chutney is packed with flavour, and promises to be a firm favorite with those who do not like onions."

Blog 745 - Summary of Food Blogs 151-200
"I have had numerous requests from individuals for recipes that were published in the past. A couple of people have asked that I publish all of them in a book, and others have suggested a compilation blog, with links to the kitchen blogs only. I'll keep the book idea on ice for now, but here is the fourth installment of the summary blogs in the meantime. Links, photos, and introductory paragraphs all included. Enjoy!"

Blog 746 - Sewing Covers For Your Plastic Hangers To Hang Scarves
"Keeping scarves in a drawer, or on a shelf makes it very difficult to find the right scarf to match your outfit. That is why I prefer hanging mine on a hanger. In today's blog, I show you how to sew a cover for your plain old plastic hangers so you can turn these into hanging space for your scarves. I made the set in the blog as a gift for a friend. Perhaps you would like to do something similar?"

Blog 747 - Preparing Pizza Bases To Freeze For Later Use
"I recently went on a rather extended trip that would keep me away from home for a few weeks. My mom was very upset as she and my dad had become quite hooked on the homemade pizzas I had blogged about earlier. I had a substantial amount of sourdough starter to use and decided to make her some pizza bases that she could keep in the freezer until ready for use. I show you how easy this is to do in today's blog."

Blog 748 - Making Old-Fashioned Brawn
"When I was recently in Botswana, visiting some fabulous friends, I was invited to photograph a number of dishes prepared by an excellent cook. One of these dishes was of my friend cooking brawn. This is one of those dishes that everybody used to be able to make and nowadays very few people actually know how to do. I ran for the camera and am happy to bring you an old-fashioned dish revived for a new generation."

Blog 749 - Painting A Cubist Abstract Landscape In Oils
"When visiting the small town of Pitsane in Botswana, my friends made sure to take me round to see the Makgoro pans. After the recent rains, the pans were brimming with life and the water levels had increased tremendously. The vegetation were lush and green. I could not take enough photos. When left to my own devices, a couple of days later, I made use of the opportunity to paint these pans slightly different to how I had seen them. In today's blog I show you how to interpret a landscape differently from the reality and to then paint it the way you interpreted it. My choice for this version fell on an almost cubist (more geometric) abstract interpretation of the scene."

Blog 750 - Paint A Simplified Landscape In Inktense & Oils
"Today's painting is a very simple interpretation of an agricultural landscape, yet it is visually very appealing as the simplicity of the painting forces you to linger longer in the scene, in an attempt to make sense of it. The underpainting is done with Derwent Inktense and this is then followed up with oil colours. Some scgraffitto in the wet paint puts the finishing touches on the painting. This is a good place to start if you are new to painting and/or landscapes."

Follow these links to previous Index Blogs:
Blogs 1-50
Blogs 51-100
Blogs 101-150
Blogs 151-200
Blogs 201-250
Blogs 251-300
Blogs 301-350
Blogs 351-400

Blogs 401-450

Blogs 451-500
Blogs 501-550
Blogs 551-600
Blogs 601-650
Blogs 651-700
Blogs 701-750

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
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