DIY - Santa Hat Chair Covers

What to do:
1. Measure your chair. You need to know how wide it is (at it's widest) and then how tall the back section is. Make sure that it reaches down to about 5cm above the seat section of the chair.

2. Cut the main rectangle shape of your covers to be about 48cm wide and 46cm tall and top edge to have a triangle shape (for the santa hat look), to make about 25cm tall from the top point, down to where the main rectangle shape begins.

3. Then, cut out 2 of these shapes, but add a 1cm on all sides (except for the bottom).

4. Then place them together (with right sides together if you have a fabric with a "right" side) and sewed along all of the edges except for the bottom, using a 1cm seam allowance.

5. Then trim off the 3 points, then turn it right side out and ironed flat (not too hot).

6. Sewed a straight line across the top of the chair cover, right where the triangle shape and the rectangle shape meet. This will keep the chair cover in place and will stop the cover from sliding down the chair.

7. Then, cut a 6cm wide piece of white felt that is the same width as the bottom of the chair cover, plus a 1cm at each end, for the seam allowance.

8. Sewed the two ends together with a 1cm seam allowance then turn it right side out and slipped it on around the bottom edge of the seat cover. (Place the side seam of the white strip right on top of one of the side seams of the seat cover.)

9. Match up the two bottom edges of the white strip and the seat cover and sewed the two layers together, using a 0.5cm seam allowance. Sewed another seam along the top edge of the white strip as well.

10. Cut long strips of the white felt, about 0.8cm. Cut those long strips up into about 10cm long pieces.Use about 45-50 little strips per pom-pom.

11. Wrap a long piece of the upholstery thread around the middle of the felt strips and pull tight. Then wrap a few more times and knotted it several times. Then, fluff up the pieces and it turned into more of a pom-pom shape.

12. You can either hand-stitch each pom-pom to the tip of each hat or you can hot glue it.

What you need:
- red polyester felt (the amount you need, depends on the size of your chairs)
- white polyester felt (the amount you need, depends on the size of your chairs)
- white thread
- hot glue (optional)
- sewing machine
- scissors
- iron
- measuring tape

Estimated time needed: 1hour

ref: www.makeit-loveit.com

Outdoor Lounge

What to do: 
Tip: Make sure the ground is level before setting everything in place.

1. Start with one side. Set 4 cinderblocks vertically, and 2 that go on top horizontally. Allow approximately 8 - 9 ft. of distance before setting the next side of cinderblocks.

2. Feed the wood through one side to the other. Make sure you have at least 6 inches sticking out on both sides. If you want smaller seating, you may always trim the excess wood.

3. Once you are happy with the placement and size of the seating, temporarily remove the wood beams. Use the concrete adhesive to set the cinderblocks in place.

4. After the concrete adhesive has dried, feed the wood beams through the top holes of the cinderblocks.


5. Place your cushion onto the wood beams, recommended cushions are the "deep seating" cushion for this width, approx. 32".

 What you need:
- 12 cinderblocks (6 for each side)
- 4 pieces of 4″x 4″x 10 ft. lumber
- a comfortable blue long cushion;
- blue paint;
- concrete adhesive 

Estimated time needed: 1hour plus drying 

ref: www.goodshomedesign.com

Garden Markers

What to do: 
1. Roll each clay ball into a coil about 5.5″long. Then flatten the coils to .25″ thick with your rolling pin.

2. Use the dull side of your knife to trim one end into a point (the dull side won’t leave behind serrated marks), and shape the edges of each marker with the flat side of your knife. Smooth out any imperfections with your finger, transfer the markers into your baking dish, and get your stamps out.

3. Stamp your garden markers, and bake them according to the clay package instructions. Polymer clay is plastic, so don’t worry about sealing it. Be gentle with your markers! Polymer clay isn’t the most sturdy material, but if you carefully plant them next to your herbs they should last. 

What you need:
- oven bake-able polymer clay rolled into 1.25″balls (one ball for each marker)
- appropriate baking dish (according to package instructions)
- a rolling pin
- a butter knife
- rubber letter stamps
- an oven

Estimated time needed: 1hour and 30 minutes plus drying

ref: witandwhistle.com

Vertical Garden

What to do: 
1. Sand down any rough spots on your pallet. If the back of your pallet doesn’t have much support, find some scrap wood, roughly 3 to 4 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick (or the thickness of the rest of your supports) and cut it down to the width of your pallet. Using two nails on each side, add supports so they are roughly even down the back of your pallet.

2. Double or triple up your landscaping fabric (can also be canvas or hessian, any thick fabric or plastic) and begin the stapling fun. Staple fabric along the back, bottom and sides of the pallet, taking care at the corners to fold in the fabric so no soil will spill out. 

3. Lay the pallet flat and pour potting soil through slats, pressing soil down firmly. Leave enough room to begin planting your succulents.

4. Begin planting, starting at the bottom of the pallet and ending at the top. Make sure soil is firmly packed in each layer as you move up. Add more soil as needed so that plants are tightly packed at the end.

5. Water your wall garden thoroughly and let it remain horizontal for 1 to 2 weeks to allow plants to take root. After 1 to 2 weeks, you can set it upright.

Note: Remember when you water to start at the top and water each subsequent section a little less, as your water will naturally seep through to the bottom-most plants.

 What you need:
- a wooden pallet

- landscaping fabric (canvas or hessian, any thick fabric or plastic).
- sandpaper
- staple gun and staples
- hammer and nails
- potting soil
- plants of choice 

 Estimated time needed: 1 hour

ref: www.designsponge.com

Mint Chip Ice Cream Pie

Serves 8 | preparation: 10 minutes | cooking time: 145 minutes

Nutritional information: Carbs 47g | Fat 18g | Protein 5g

INGREDIENTS
- 225g chopped semisweet chocolate, melted
- 4 cups crisped rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
- 4 cups mint chocolate-chip ice cream, slightly softened

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate and cereal until the cereal is completely coated. Transfer to a 23cm springform pan. Press the mixture into the bottom and 2.5cm up the sides of the pan. Freeze just until firm, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Spread the ice cream in the prepared crust and freeze, covered, until firm, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. 

ref: realsimple.com

Caramelized Onions and Roasted Bell Peppers Meatza

Serves 6

Nutritional information: Carbs 19.2g | Fat 38.7g | Protein 42.8g

INGREDIENTS FOR THE MEAT CRUST
- 900g ground beef
- 1 cup raw cauliflower, grated
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp dried mustard
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp baking soda

FOR THE TOPPINGS
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 200g sweet mini peppers
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100g unripened soft goat cheese
- 50g walnuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9" x 13" baking sheet well with butter. 

2. Add all the ingredients listed under “meat crust” to a large mixing bowl and knead with your hands until well combined. 

3. With your fingers, spread the meat evenly across the greased baking sheet taking care to form a little “crust” along the edge, for a more authentic look. 

4. Remove the stems off the mini-peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds, if any. Place the peppers in a broiler pan and drizzle them with a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. 

5. Place both the crust and the mini peppers in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the meat is browned and the peppers are nicely roasted. 

6. Meanwhile, add the sliced onions and butter, set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions turn a nice golden color, about 15 minutes. Add the sage, salt and pepper, stir well and set aside. 

7. Remove the meat and peppers from the oven. If you find that the meat has released a fair amount of liquid while cooking, you’ll want to carefully drain that. 

8. Spread the caramelized onions across the meat, followed by roasted bell peppers, crumbled goat cheese and chopped walnuts; return the meatza to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the crust gets nice and crispy and the cheese starts to turn golden. 

9. Cut your meatza into 6 pieces, dribble with a little bit more extra-virgin olive oil and chopped fresh parsley. 

ref: thehealthyfoodie.com

Grilled Mielie Salad

Serves 4

Nutritional information per serving: Carbs 66.5g | Fat 15.4g | Protein 16.8g

 INGREDIENTS

- 8 ears of fresh mielie, silk removed
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 2 cups haricots verts, ends removed and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and very finely chopped
- the juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 75g unripened goat cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat your outdoor grill to high heat (around 400-450) 
 
2. Place your ears of mielie directly on the grill without removing the husks (remove the silk to avoid burning) 

3. Close the lid and cook the mielie for about 20 minutes, rotating the ears every 3-5 minutes, to insure even cooking on all sides. 

4. Remove mielie from the grill and allow to cool for about 10 minutes then remove the husks. 

5. Remove kernels from the cobs and place in the fridge to cool completely, preferably overnight. 

6. Of course, you can also use leftover mielie or even frozen mielies. 

7. When mielie is good and cold, add it to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend to combine. 

8. Serve immediately or leave in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow for flavors to combine.

ref: thehealthyfoodie.com