A Summary with References of Blogs 801-850

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 seventeenth of these Index Blogs.


Blog 801 - Scrapbooking: Capturing Your Ballerina In Colour Part 1
"Little girls have been fascinated by ballerinas for centuries. My little preschooler niece recently participated in the Eisteddfod where she recited a poem about ballerinas. I captured these sweet memories for her album by colouring a ballerina design with colouring pencils, before incorporating it into her scrapbook photo album. The design is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 802 - Scrapbooking: Capturing Your Ballerina In Colour Part 2
"In the previous blog I showed you how to colour a cute ballerina with colouring pencils. In today's blog, we add this picture, along with photos and other memorabilia from the day, to turn my preschooler niece's participation in the Eisteddfod, into a keepsake memory. The design we used is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 803 - A Summary with References of Blogs 751-800
"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 sixteenth of these Index Blogs."

Blog 804 - Cardmaking: To Catch A Mermaid
"Summer is a great time for pool parties. Next time your child is invited to a children's pool party, why not make the hostess a cute mermaid card to thank or congratulate her? I show you how easy it is to colour the design and make the card in today's blog. The design is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 805 - Cardmaking: To Colour Or To Paint Part 1
"We have been doing a lot of colouring of late for the projects we've been working on. Yet, a number of pencils give us the option of painting them with water, once they are coloured. We explore these possibilities in today's blog when use two butterfly designs from my book Designs By Miekie 1 to make a special card."

Blog 806 - Cardmaking: To Colour Or To Paint Part 2
"In the previous blog I showed you how to turn your coloured works into paintings. Today, we will turn those paintings into fun cards to celebrate a special birthday for twin girls. The designs were taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 807 - Cardmaking: Paper Piecing Your Designs Part 1
"Are you familiar with the art of paper piecing? It is where a design is cut up into different pieces and the individual pieces are then cut from various paper designs. The pieces are then reconstructed into the original design to make a colourful and visually fun picture to look at. I show you how to transform a normal design into a paper piecing design in today's blog. before showing you how to reconstruct the design again. The design is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 808 - Cardmaking: Paper Piecing Your Designs Part 2
"In the previous blog I showed you how use an ordinary design and transform it into a paper piecing design. In today's blog, we turn the lovely butterfly we have pieced together into a pretty card to awe a special recipient with. The design was taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 809 - School Holiday Project: Connect The Dots Cards
"My niece and nephew insisted it was time we did another 'art' project. And they knew exactly what they wanted to do too - they wanted to make cards. I liked the idea of this, but decided to make it a little more fun and challenging. They would have to draw the pictures for the cards themselves, by connecting the dots. The designs for this fun project was taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 810 - School Holiday Project: Embroider A French Knotted Heart
"My niece pitched up with a carry-case of craft materials that a friend had given her for her birthday. She suggested we do something with it and promptly handed me the case to figure out the details. I unpacked everything with her and paid close attentions to the bits she was obviously dumbfounded by. These were the ones she would need most help with and these would be what I concentrated on. In today's blog I show you how I introduced her to the art of embroidery by teaching her to make French knots."

Blog 811 - School Holiday Project: Making A Collage With Found Garden Objects
"The kids had so much fun with today's project that all of their collages ended up overly crowded, but they simply did not want to stop. It is a very good developmental exercise on top of being great fun and there are plenty of learning opportunities hidden in the project. We 'paint' houses with sand before collecting found objects from the garden to build gardens on a much smaller scale surrounding the houses. I'll point out the learning and developmental opportunities as I discuss the steps for today's project. Bonus, is that this is a very cheap art project that can be entirely done with discards and found objects."

Blog 812 - Cardmaking On A Shoestring: Bon Voyage Card
"It has become extremely expensive to buy cards these days. A lot of people have taken to making their own cards, but sometimes these are so elaborate and expensive that it takes your breath away. In the next two blogs I want to share some ideas for making cards that will not cost an arm and a leg, yet does not lack for effect or prettiness. I kick off with a Bon Voyage card. You can of course choose any theme you like, though. The design I use is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 813 - Cardmaking On A Shoestring: Birthday Card For A Boy
"In the previous blog I shared a couple of ideas with you on making cards on a shoestring budget. I continue with this idea in today's blog, although we will be making a birthday card for a boy this time. Once again the design I use is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1."

Blog 814 - Brew Your Own Spiced Tea For Colds & Flu
"I had been struggling with a tight chest and incessant coughing for going on two weeks when I finally couldn't take it any more. I lay in bed and wondered what more I could do to put an end to all of this when a recipe for spiced tea came to mind. I tried it and immediately felt relief. I am not claiming that it has healing properties, merely that it should bring you relief. I share this recipe with you in today's blog. Bonus is that it is actually delicious and now my guests ask for it simply for its taste value when they come to visit."

Blog 815 - Make A Pillowcase For An Oddly-Shaped Pillow
"I have this oddly shaped pillow that I love to sleep on. The problem is that the pillowcase is so unsightly that I don't want to leave it on my bed. It is also not possible to buy pillowcases for these pillows. What is a girl to do?! Well, I simply had to make my own. In today's blog I show you how to take measurements and draw a 'pattern' for an oddly shaped pillowcase. I also show you step by step how to sew it yourself."

Blog 816 - Sewing Square Scatter Cushion Pillow Covers
"I was presented with the opportunity to spend three months in idyllic Hondeklipbaai on the West Coast of South Africa. Of course I jumped at the opportunity. The original idea was to spend my time writing and painting, but it turned out that the stay would have much more to offer. Upon my arrival in Cape Town, I learned that the friend at whose house I'd be staying, needed to refurbish a cottage that she was renting out. We spent a couple of days buying everything that was needed, but I suggested I make her some Scatter Cushion pillowcases, rather than settling for what was available in the market. In today's blog I show you how to make pillowcases for square scatter cushions."

Blog 817 - Sewing Round Scatter Cushion Pillowcases
"In the previous blog I told you about my stay in Hondeklipbaai where I helped a friend to get her cottage ready for rent to tourists and visitors to this idyllic town. When it came to buying scatter cushions, I suggested I rather make pillowcases for the existing cushions. In today's blog I show you how to make pillowcases for round scatter cushions."

Blog 818 - Sewing King Size Scatter Cushions
"After sewing pillowcases for the scatter cushions that would be going into a cottage a friend was refurbishing, I had a good sized piece of fabric left over. As one of the beds was a King size bed with King size pillows, my friend suggested we turned this leftover fabric into scatter cushions to fit this bed. In today's blog I show you how to fit your scatter cushions to an 'odd' sized bed."

Blog 819 - Sewing Shower Curtains
"When you have an elegant cottage to rent, you certainly do not wish to hang shower curtains with crazy designs in the bathrooms. When my friend could not find any shower curtains to hang in the newly refurbished cottage she intended to rent out to tourists, she asked me if I would mind making her two stark white shower curtains. I agreed that this would be best and we set out to buy the fabric. It may not be the prettiest curtains I had ever sewn, but it certainly fitted the cottage much better than the colourful alternatives. In today's blog I show you how to sew shower curtains."

Blog 820 - Giving An Old Cupboard A Chalk Paint Makeover
"Over the past couple of blogs I have been telling you about getting things ready for my for my friend's cottage in Hondeklipbaai. While I was sewing pillowcases, etc, the handyman on the grounds, Les, was giving an old kitchen cupboard a much-needed make-over with chalk paint. I asked his permission to take photos of the process and he readily agreed. I share his makeover story with you in today's blog."

Blog 821 - Summary of Sewing Blogs 101-150
"I have thought it a good idea to try and organize the blogs a little to make them more accessible to myself and my readers. With this in mind, I have started grouping blogs that have a common theme together in a summary blog. This blog is complete with links, headings, descriptions and photos. This is the third of these blogs on sewing."

Blog 822 - Making Tomato Jam In Namaqualand
"When visiting friends in Namaqualand recently, I quickly made lots of new friends as well. One of these wanted us to cook some tomato jam together as she had not done this on a larger scale yet. The jam was intended for the local coffee shop, called The Shack. I show you how to make your own tomato jam in today's blog, but feel free to stop by The Shack in Hondeklipbaai when next you are in town and try the delicatessen's available from there as well. These are made by people from the community and sold in The Shack as consignment stock to try to improve the living conditions of the local residents."

Blog 823 - Baking A Namaqualand Seed Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"Being invited to spend three months in Hondeklipbaai in breathtaking Namaqualand during the wildflower season, is a dream come true. I figured it would leave me plenty of time to write, paint and bake, while not neglecting exploring the surrounds either. With this in mind, I set out to get a sourdough starter going. You can read all about this in a blog I published previously: Making a Sourdough Starter. In today's blog I wish t share a recipe I developed here in my friend's kitchen while she was traveling Europe. I call it my Namaqualand Seed Loaf. I used the sourdough starter as a raising agent."

Blog 824 - Baking A Cranberry & Almond Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"I am still staying in Hondeklipbaai on lovely Namaqualand and having a ball discovering what is available in my friend's kitchen. She gave me free reign over items which would only grow old while she's away and among these I found some almond flakes and dried cranberries. These would be prefect to add to a loaf and it was high time I baked something again. In today's blog, I share the steps for baking this delicious Cranberry & Almond Flake Loaf."

Blog 825 - Baking Roosterkoek Over The Coals
"Spending time in Hondeklipbaai in beautiful Namaqualand is bringing back memories of long forgotten favourites. I have made friends with the woman cleaning the house I am staying at and she is an absolute gem of a person. Her daughter also stays on the premises and the other day Hetta called me to go see what Kyna was doing. I arrived in time to see Kyna baking roosterkoek (buns) on the coals. I immediately knew that this would be the topic of my next blog. Today we use our sourdough starter to bake roosterkoeke."

Blog 826 - Baking A Poppy Seed Wheel Using A Sourdough Starter
"Some of my new friends here in Namaqualand called up to invite me to spend the day with them in Namaqua National Park. They then suggested we pack a light picnic to take along for the day. Who am I to refuse such an offer? Not this girl! I immediately accepted the invite and then started planning what I could take along for the picnic. Home-baked bread seemed like just the thing. As I did not want us to struggle with slicing bread, I decided the best idea would be to bake several buns in the form of a wheel, making it easy to carry with us. To make it a little more interesting, I added poppy seeds and buttermilk. I use a sourdough starter as raising agent and to add flavour. You can read all about this in a blog I published previously: Making a Sourdough Starter. In today's blog I show you how to bake a Poppy Seed Wheel."

Blog 827 - Baking A Chocolate & Chili Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"It is old news that chocolates and chilies go well together, so I do not claim to have developed any new and fab taste combination. What inspired this bread was a friend who simply mentioned that she would like to try this combo in a bread 'someday'. I thought it was a brilliant idea and this is how it came about that I developed today's recipe.  (I use a sourdough starter as raising agent as well as to add flavour. You can read all about this in a blog I published previously: Making a Sourdough Starter)."

Blog 828 - Making Sweet Potato Soup
"I was visiting a friend who was feeling a bit under the weather, when her mom pitched up with a large pot of soup. It turned out to be Sweet Potato Soup, and as soon as I've tasted it, I knew I would have to obtain the recipe from her. She was more than happy to share it with me. Being away from home in Hondeklipbaai, I was left with some lovely sweet potatoes and when the weather turned cold, I longed for that recipe that I had left at home. There was only one thing to do - contact Tannie Marieta to get the recipe from her again! She was an absolute star and sent it to me, so that I can share this lovely recipe with all of you today. I had to swap out some ingredients for what I had on hand, but you'll get the gist of it."

Blog 829 - Sign Writing - Die Rooi Container
"During my stay here in Hondeklipbaai, I came across a project that has touched a chord with me. My hosts have made a red shipping container available free of charge to be used as a charity shop for the community. Visitors can donate clothes and other household items to the Rooi Container, as it is called, which would then be sold very cheaply to the community. This creates an opportunity for the person running the shop to generate an income, as she gets to keep 50% of all sales. The remainder of the money is collected and at the end it is donated to a worthy cause in the community. The community of Hondeklipbaai is very poor and unemployment is rife. With the closest shops roughly 100 km away, this project is a true god-sent. When it was mentioned that the Rooi Container needed a sign for its name, I volunteered my services. In today's blog, I show you how this sign was painted with collaboration from two partners."

Blog 830 - Baking A Breakfast Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"Searching through the kitchen cabinets of the house I'm staying in for something interesting to add to my next loaf, I came across some oats. I recalled the fruit and nuts that was available and very quickly settled on the idea of baking a delicious breakfast loaf. I once again used my sourdough starter as a raising agent. You can read all about this in a blog I published previously: Making a Sourdough Starter). I give instructions for using alternatives as well."

Blog 831 - West Coast Oxtail Potjiekos With Muscadel
"I am still on my extended stay here in Hondeklipbaai on the West Coast of South Africa. I have had numerous invites to eat with new friends and have watched them closely in their food preparations. Discovering a pack of oxtail in the freezer, I decided to make my own version of West Coast Potjiekos with what was available in the house. It turned out fab. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!"

Blog 832 - Baking A Garden Herb Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"It is always interesting to discover what other people keep in their pantries, and to then try to cook or bake with their ingredients. I find it even more fun when they keep vegetable and/or herb gardens. I am on an extended stay in Hondeklipbaai in Namaqualand at a friend's house while she is gallivanting overseas. As I am already in the habit of baking my own bread, I simply continued to do during my stay, having grown my own sourdough starter. (You can read more about this in an earlier blog: Making a Sourdough Starter). In today's blog I show you how I incorporated the fresh garden herbs in my loaf."

Blog 833 - Baking A Blue Rock & Onion Braid Using A Sourdough Starter
"I discovered a small piece of Blue Rock cheese in the fridge and immediately knew that I wanted to use this in the bread that I intended to bake. Adding some chopped onion, seemed the most natural thing in the world to do, and so I did. I added a couple more interesting ingredients to enhance the flavour, which had me waiting impatiently at the oven door for the bread to be ready, as the whole house was filled with wafts of deliciousness. I once again used a sourdough starter as raising agent. (You can read more about this in an earlier blog: Making a Sourdough Starter). In today's blog, I share ideas for baking a delicious savoury braid with you."

Blog 834 - Capturing The Essence Of Hondeklipbaai In A Painting
"I was approached  by someone to capture the essence of Hondeklipbaai in a painting. This would mean incorporating individual ideas and concepts into a single painting, rather than simply painting an existing natural landscape composition. This can be slightly tricky, as it incorporates both elements of design as well as art. The instruction was to use loose cartoon-like lines, moving well away from realism. I took my time getting to know the town, its people, and its character before finally settling down to plan the painting. In today's blog, I share some ideas of how I went about doing this."

Blog 835 - Sign Writing - Hout/Wood
"I have blogged about painting the sign for the local charity shop here in Hondeklipbaai, Die Rooi Container, in a previous blog. This shop has also obtained a contract with a local supplier to sell its wood from the shop. Wood is very scarce in Hondeklipbaai as there are precious few trees around, and ulitmately has to be brought in from distant locations. It is therefore a very prized commodity for both locals, as well as visitors. At R35 per bag, it is still very reasonably priced and the contract ensures a steady supply. However, it needed to be brought to people's attention that the wood was available from the Rooi Container. I once again volunteered to write the sign. I show you how I did it in today's blog."

Blog 836 - Baking Custard Cookies
"I promised a friend I would get her some homemade cookies from the local bazaar, but ended up not going. I dislike going back on my word, and felt obliged to make up for it. There was nothing left to do, but to quickly whip up a batch of cookies myself. My grandmother used to make the most delicious old-fashioned custard cookies, and they are still a firm favourite with the whole family. In today's blog I show you how to make these cookies in no time at all."

Blog 837 - Making Almond Fudge In The Microwave
"Yesterday I went for a long walk, along with Luke and Fudge, the dogs. We set out in bright sunlight, but returned in bitter cold weather that had all three of us dashing for the heater. Such is the weather here in Hondeklipbaai on the West Coast. Anyway, all the way home, as I was freezing, I kept thinking how nice it would be to have something sweet. And all this time I had Fudge, the dog, in my sight. It was a small leap to decide to make fudge as soon as I got home. But this is not the time to do it on the stove top. No! It was time for the quick and easy microwave recipe that everyone is making these days. I added a little twist by adding some almond flakes. If you do not have this recipe yet, then today's blog is for you."

Blog 838 - Baking A Wholegrain Goji Loaf Using A Sourdough Starter
"I was nearing the end of my stay in Hondeklipbaai and knew I had to wrap things up. There was still time left before I had to go to bake another loaf, though. This time I wanted to add a lot of roughage and grains to the loaf, as well as some berries to give it more taste and make it a healthier alternative to the usual breads. When I was done, I gave the remaining sourdough starter to Hetta, the lady cleaning the house, who have been an enthralled observer ever since I started baking. If you've missed the blog on making your own sourdough starter, you can find it by clicking on the title here: Making a Sourdough Starter."

Blog 839 - Build A Port Edward Special
"When I was small, we would often visit the coastal town of Port Edward during the winter holidays. I remember one of Mom's treats on these holidays, was to buy some kind of special bread, which she would slice open and fill with all kinds of goodies. It would then be wrapped in foil and placed in the oven for those flavours to blend and bake through. This treat became known as the 'Port Edward Special' in the family and the tradition still prevails. In today's blog I share some ideas for building your own Port Edward Special."

Blog 840 - Coloring In Techniques
"My time in Hondeklipbaai was running out fast, but I still had a little time left to help the local charity shop, Die Rooi Container, with an awareness project. The lady in charge of the shop approached me with the idea of running a coloring competition for the adult women of the community, with a make-up hamper as prize. The whole idea behind this was to make the community aware of the charity shop to get both patrons, as well as donors in the door. I thought the idea was brilliant and quickly set about drawing up a short list of coloring techniques that could get the creative juices flowing. I then helped with drawing up the entry forms and the posters that would go up around town. Lastly, I suggested they use the designs from my book, Designs By Miekie 1, to ensure no copyright was infringed upon. I share the short list of coloring techniques with you in today's blog."

Blog 841 - Making A Beetroot & Pear Salad
"The days are turning warm and all of a sudden we want to have salads again. Today I share a recipe with you that is packed with goodness and brimming with vitamins and minerals. It is healthy, delicious and it looks good too. Best of all is that none of the veggies that go into the salad, are cooked, saving you loads of time on the prepping."

Blog 842 - Painting Two Turtle Shells
"If there is one thing that is great about spending time in Namaqualand, it is the plethora of new and strange things I encounter. The other day I was walking through the veld when I came upon a number of turtle shells upon my route. Not all of them were in good condition, but I managed to find two that were near perfect. I brought these home with me and today I share some ideas on painting these as garden ornaments.

Blog 843 - Making A Pottery Mug
"What great fun I had when I recently went to Hondeklipbaai in Namaqualand on the West Coast of South Africa. I was thrilled to find a large number of independently-minded women here with the ability to shape their own lives. More than that. They had unpacked themselves from the box so much that they had taken on their own shape again and was happily living their lives in these comfortable shapes. Two of the women I met, who epitomize this description, are Elize Kruger and Ninette Hough from the K9 Pottery Studio in town. They allowed me into their private creative world, where I took photos of the drawn out process of throwing on the potter's wheel. I share this process with you in this blog. Prepare to be enthralled."

Blog 844 - Painting A Heart-Shaped Horse In Acrylics
"I have temporarily moved house so that I can fill a relief teaching post. The problem was that I missed painting so much that I simply had to go out and purchase some products to fill the longing in my soul. My choice fell on acrylics as my desk would have to double as an art studio in the confined space of the room I was renting, and acrylics dry quickly enough so that I wouldn't be sitting with wet canvasses strewn all over the room. In today's blog I share the first of the paintings I did in this temporary 'studio' when I show you step by step how to paint this heart-shaped horse that was inspired by a line drawing I came across on Pinterest."

Blog 845 - School Holiday Project: Painting Snail Shells
"On a trip to Koiingnaas in Namaqualand, last year, I came across a number of large snail shells on my hikes through the veld. I asked about the snails themselves, and was told that it was the wrong season to find live snails. I picked up a couple of snail shells to take home with me, where the kids and I had a lot of fun painting the shells, before placing them in Grandma's garden."

Blog 846 - School Holiday Project: Dala Wonder Woman Kit
"I won a Wonder Woman Kit from Dala! I love winning things, especially when they are arts or crafts related. I wasn't home when the parcel arrived home, as I was away on an extended holiday to the Namaqualand, but this delightful parcel was waiting for me on my return. My niece's sixth birthday was only a little ways off by the time I returned and I accordingly decided to include the Wonder Woman Kit with her birthday gifts. Her delight on receiving it, was heart-warming. The plans for her birthday party later in the day aside, she insisted I sat with her while she painted at least one of the two canvasses inside the box. The result was a phenomenal success and she had great fun mixing the colours herself. Dala is truly on to something wonderful here and I am looking forward to more designs along this vein! Let me show what is included in the box, and how a six year old made sense of it all."

Blog 847 - Making Chili Preserve

"The members of my family recently bought vegetable combo packs from their local green grocer. Included in the combos, were handfuls of chilies. As no one in my family cooks with chilies, aside from myself, I was instantly rewarded with all of their combined chili purchases. As I already had a good stash of dried out chilies, I decided to preserve these latest additions in oil. I show you how to go about this in today's blog."

Blog 848 - School Holiday Project: Making Coconut Ice
"In the previous blog I told you how my niece helped me to make chili preserve. When we were done, she still felt like making something in the kitchen. I thought it was time to make something that everyone could enjoy, but which wouldn't take too long to make. Coconut ice seemed to be just the thing to appeal to everyone. This is a very simple recipe to do with youngsters of any age."

Blog 849 - Baking Muffin Tin Quiche
"It had been a busy day and I had clean run out of time to make dinner. Fortunately, just as I was about to start, my niece arrived to announce that she felt like baking. I immediately decided to combine her idea of baking with my need to prepare dinner and the two of us quickly put together these muffin tin quiches for dinner. They are simply delicious and remain a quick fix to many a culinary dilemma."

Blog 850 - Making Roosterkoeke On The Braai
"The family was all going to come over for a braai, and as per our custom, we went all out with the preparations. I decided to make us some roosterkoeke for the occasion, but this time I borrowed a recipe from the trusted Kook en Geniet recipe book. I show you how to bake the ordinary noenmaalrolle on the kettle braai in today's blog. These turned out so good, that my carnivorous family went back for seconds on the bread!"

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
Blogs 751-800

Blogs 801-850

Melette Els (Clinical Social Work) can be contacted via the webpage www.m-e.co.za, or by email at melette.els@gmail.com, or by phone at 082 776 1536.
Melette Els B.A. (SocSc) M. (Th) 
BHF Pr Nr.: 089 000 00 28754 SACSSP Reg.Nr.: 10-17310

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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Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
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