Here is a post from 3 years ago when I first tried my hand at making Tabasco sauce. It was a great success and the quantity lasted for a couple of years.
Unfortunately, the chilli bush did not survive the changes to the vegie garden area so we bought another one in the middle of last year.
Today I am making more sauce and using just half of the quantity stated in the original recipe. This has to be one of the simplest preserving recipes around. I am looking forward to having a bottle on hand so that I can add a couple of drops to various dishes that I make.
Tonight I just want to share a couple of things with you.
You may remember this post from last month where I talked about making a ‘whiteboard’ to put inside the laundry cupboard.I finally got around to cutting up the manilla folder and laminating the 2 sheets. The second sheet will become a shopping/to do list in the pantry. I have 2 whiteboards pens to go with them so now all I need to do is to attach them.
The other thing I wanted to show you is how to get labels off jars/bottles I am sure you have noticed that the type and quality of the labels varies enormously. Some can be peeled off with no residue, others can be soaked of in warm soapy water while others require differing amounts of effort to remove the residue.
I forgot to post a ‘before’ photo of this bottle so you will have to believe me.
The plastic-coated label peeled off quite easily but left a full coating of residue. I used my home-made cream cleanser and the steel scourer.
I have seen tips about using eucalyptus oil for these jobs as it tends to dissolve the residue. However, it is not terribly effective at removing the softened adhesive. The bicarb and dishwashing liquid in the recipe and a steel scourer made short work of any last bits.
On to the second part of the blog – Wordless Wednesday. You may have noticed the lack of blog post last night. By Wednesday evenings I am usually struggling to find some worthwhile content as there is nothing ‘blogworthy’ going on at work. In order to maintain regular posts each day, I have decided to instigate ‘Wordless Wednesday’ which seemed to be quite popular on several blogs a couple of years ago. Each week I will post a photo with no or minimal information. Take the time to enjoy the photo and as always, I welcome your comments.
Over the past 6 six weeks I have become increasingly aware of the name, Marie Kondo. For those of you who feel like you have been living under a rock, she is a Japanese decluttering and tidying guru.
One of the things that seems to have captured people’s imagination is her method of folding and storing t-shirts and underwear. When I first read about this, I dismissed it because I figured I did not have enough t-shirts to warrant having a special method of folding them. Origami, anyone? Anyway, my clothes fit quite nicely into the available space.
All of the hype got the better of me tonight so I resorted to Google. There are many links but here is a Youtube video on folding underwear.
As far as I can see there is nothing particularly startling about that. I do know that I would go insane if I had to unhook my bra every time I went to get dressed!
Here is my version. Unfortunately, no video, just a couple of still shots.
This is one of the small drawers from my dressing table. I have put it on the floor for this view.
Back left – 6 bras
Front left – 6 pairs of knickers
Back right – 6 pairs of stockings
Centre right – 3 pairs thick socks
Front right – 11 pairs of ankle/lightweight socks
I have more socks than I need but I see no reason to throw any out. I will keep them until they are worn out and not replace with as many. There are already about 6 pairs that have gone in the past couple of years.
This is a closer view with the drawer back in position.
My underwear drawer is the top left-hand drawer. The other top drawer holds my pyjamas, scarves, bathers and sarong. The lower two drawers are full width and contain shorts, travel pants, tops (short and long sleeved), cardigans and my home and exercise clothes.
Nothing is over-stuffed and I am happy with the way everything is folded and fits in.
I will probably have a bit more of a look at what Marie Kondo has to offer but I don’t think I will be changing how I fold and store my clothes anytime soon.
Are you a Marie Kondo afficionado? Should I set up my own decluttering business? 🙂
Following on from my post on Saturday, I have bought this bag.
When I went to buy it, the sales assistant pointed out that if I bought 2 items they would both be 25% off. I did not need another bag but then she added that it included any merchandise including wallets, hats and scarves. I was not necessarily looking for anything else but I decided to take a look. I found this gorgeous red scarf for $20 so added that to my purchases. I can’t wait for some cooler weather.
Thanks to discounts and a $50 gift card I ended up getting the bag and scarf for $114.
I also ordered this dress from Rivette & Blair in Melbourne.
Instead of ordering online which is a relatively new innovation for this brand, I rang the store to check that the dress was an identical style to the 2 I already have. I placed my order over the phone and was advised that there was 20% off the price and I also ended up ordering another in the same style which was on special for $59 which is less than half price. The description is red and blue floral so it will be a bit of a surprise packet!
That is certainly enough buying for me at the moment.
What about you? Have you bought anything lately or scored a bargain?
Another week has flown by and the sewing had not been touched. Before I could start sewing I had to do the ironing and there was quite a bit as I did not do it last weekend and had just ironed a few things during the week to keep us going. I got it all done early this morning and then we headed out for a few hours with our overseas guest. This afternoon has been wet so it was a good excuse to sew rather than being out in the garden.
I could have finished the hand sewing on the green skirt or finished making the denim one but I decided that I needed a change of scenery. The first thing I did was cut out a white shirt for my daughter from the pattern I had drafted a couple of weeks ago.
Then I moved on to drafting another pattern. I have given quite a bit of thought to what style I would use for this piece of fabric.
I drafted the top from this ensemble but with a few modifications.
The neckline will be a ‘v’ rather than square. The lower edge of the sleeves and body will have a few rows of shirring elastic rather than being gathered into a band.
I decided to make a prototype before cutting into my new fabric that I bought especially to make this top. In the spirit of using up my stash, I found a pretty piece of lightweight fabric which was given to me a year or so ago. Despite much thought I had never been able to come up with an idea of how to use it and there is just over 4 metres of fabric. So at least some of it is now the prototype.
To get an idea of how it might look I decided to simply baste the pieces together in the first instance.
This is not a particularly flattering photograph but it gives an idea of the style.
Things I discovered:
I can easily get it over my head
The neckline is perfect
I will cut the sleeve a bit longer next time
I am going to recut the front body as there is too much fullness in the front
When I cut the pattern in the good fabric I will straighten the side seams and take out the little bit of shaping at the waistline
Even though this is just a test run, I really like the fabric and I am sure it will earn a place in my wardrobe.
Adding to my wardrobe may seem to be contrary to the essence of Project 333 but it is not about denial but having a small collection of clothes that you love and wear. The more I work with what I have the more clarity I have about the direction I want to take.
Last week I bought a new pair of shoes but they do not really count as they as for walking (exercise).
I did consider actually selecting 33 items to participate in Project 333 this autumn (fall) as I am in the southern hemisphere. However, I am constantly drawn to the idea of a modest selection of clothes which can be worn year-round (with modifications) as we live in a warm temperate climate. I work in an air-conditioned office during the week and live on a small, semi-rural acreage.
I tend to wear separates – skirts/trousers and shirts to the office and a few years ago I only owned one dress. I have since realised that it was not really my choice – I love dresses – but dresses that I found suitable and flattering were difficult to find. I now have 5 dresses plus a dress suitable for wedding/special occasions. Additionally, I have fabric to make another dress and am seriously contemplating buying this one.
It is identical to these two dresses I already have in my wardrobe.
Along with a plain black and two black/white dresses these could form the basis of a year-round office wardrobe. I have a red jacket that can be worn with the two existing dresses and I would make or buy a navy jacket which could go with the new dress as well as the pink/red one.
My other proposed purchase is this bag.
I found it on Friday and plan to go back and buy it on Monday. I have been looking for a bigger bag for some months as I want to be able to put my laptop in it and still have space for a few personal items – purse, sunglasses, phone, car keys. My plan is to make this the one bag that I take to work so that I am not carrying a laptop case as well as a handbag. My small black handbag will still be used on all other occasions.
By judiciously choosing the additions to my wardrobe and removing those items that do not make the grade, I am gradually creating a collection of clothes that I love and which work together in a variety of ways.
Unlike the earrings, my clothes are definitely a work in progress and that will continue to be the case. What was perfect 3 years ago is now worn out, looking a bit jaded, no longer a perfect fit or just not a favourite. I can see my wardrobe evolving to match my changing style.
Here is a post from February 2012 about accessories. In particular, the earrings that I own. It is interesting to note that my current collection is identical to that which I had 3 years ago – nothing has changed.
I have enough, probably more than enough, earrings and I wear most of them regularly and some just occasionally. I do not feel the need to have any more and I am happy with what I have.
Tell me about collections that you have which have not changed over time?
I can’t imagine having so many earrings that I would need storage like this.
I know it is nothing like any of your suggestions, nor is it remotely linked to any of the ideas that I put forward but my husband is satisfied with the title so that is what matters.
So, The Duke is no more and GMan has joined the cast at Organised Castle.
We are not huge fans of online shopping but there are some instances where it is definitely worthwhile and pet food and supplies are one of them. This tends to be GMan’s domain and he orders tick and flea medication for the dog online. A few months ago he discovered that we could buy the dog food we usually purchase and it was cheaper to buy online and have it delivered than we where we had previously bought it. We buy 2 x 15kg sacks at a time and they are delivered to the door within a couple of days of placing the order. We no longer have a 70km round trip to buy it and don’t have to hoist 30kg of dog food into and out of the boot of the car. This is definitely quicker, easier and less expensive so we will definitely continue to buy it online.
While I have been sorting through the blog photos, I have come across some that I took to use in blog posts that never eventuated. Maybe it was because something more exciting came up or I simply did not get around to it.
Anyway, here are some that were sitting in a folder just waiting for the story to be written.
I noticed these small holes just below the collar on one of The Duke’s polo shirts. It was where the label was stitched on and it was beginning to tear away as there was only a single layer of fabric and no facing.
I carefully unpicked the label.
The next step was to iron a small piece of fusible interfacing to the wrong side. This helps to reinforce the fabric.
I then stitched over the holes using a zigzag stitch. The thread was a close match and the mend is barely visible. It is certainly an improvement on the holes that were there.
Finally, I trimmed the interfacing back close to the stitching and the repair was complete.
In future, I think I will remove any labels that are on a single layer of fabric when the garment is new to avoid this happening.
Oh, and you may have noticed that ‘The Duke’ still exists. Thank you for your suggestions and I have have come up with a couple but none of them really captured his imagination so I will ponder a bit more. It is enough of a challenge to change once but I do not want to find myself in the same position in the future.
Here is your opportunity to give me your thoughts.
In the 4 years that I have been writing this blog I have referred to my husband as ‘The Duke’. It is a long story which I won’t bore your with but it came about several years ago when a friend called him this as it linked to my nickname at the time.
I feel that is important not to use our real names in order to preserve some degree of anonymity. Regardless of whether you agree with this or not that is my decision.
Anyway, he announced the other night as I was writing that he was not happy with this title but neither of us can come up with an alternative which is acceptable and hopefully, original.
organised castle 