Travel in style

What's better than some DIY on a lazy sunday afternoon...

A simple notebook get's an extreme make-over by simply using a retro print and some wrapping skills.

Behold the travel journal!

Love,
Noes

Jewels on display

I've been busy on the DIY's lately and after making the jewellery branch, as seen here, I've been thinking of more ways to properly show off your pretty things.
One solution may be a jewellery dish. I saw an example on Pinterest and it inspired me to not only use my porcelain paint for actual porcelain dining pieces, but also for vanity.

This oval, gold rimmed dish was topped off with a gold confetti pattern. Ideal for putting your jewellery or pretty perfume bottles at display.Not in the mood for porcelain painting?
You can also make an entire new dish but the use of clay.

Role our the clay and create this lovely pattern by the use of chrochet. Simply place it upon your clay and role over it with the rolling pin.
When you are satisfied, cut it into the right size and leave it to dry in a bowl or on a tray, this will take a couple of days.If you would like to use it, for instance, in the bathroom make sure you apply a varnish to it once it is dry. Clay will soften again when it's in contact with water.

Love,
Noes

Jewellery branch

Pinterest is my ultimate source for inspiration. Sometimes you find great products which you can just buy but more often you have to put some effort into it.
A while ago I found this lovely idea of using a tree branch as a jewellery display, I couldn't find them in stores so that meant yet another DIY.

The original branch from Pinterest

The According To Noes version

Most important for this DIY is the following: give it some serious thought what kind of wood you use. You could of course trim your own tree and use a branch but that would mean there might still be some insects in it and the wood will not be completely dry. If you want to, leave it to dry out for a few weeks and then use it.
A great alternative is decorative wood people use for flower arrangements, this wood is already prepared for further use and you can buy it at any garden center.

When you have your branch, make measurements on the wood and mark then with a pencil. At those exact points you are going to attach small hooks. Finally, drill small holes at both ends of the branch and screw it right into the wall or knot a string to the ends to hang your branch on the wall with a single nail.
Give your prettiest things a place and you are done.

You can make it as big or as small als you like and you're done before you know it.
Have fun!

Love,
Noes

Memory jar

I guess we can say that I am one of those people that collects. I like keeping things that belong to good memories but as you can imagine that results into a box full of cards, business cards, holiday maps, cinema- and concert tickets.
Every once in a while I go through the entire box to see everything and to try to get some order instead of a box full of chaos, order that of course... never lasts.

To get at least a few things in 'order' and at the same time at display, I made a memory jar.

Step 1. Get a jar that is high enough for all the tickets to fit.

Step 2. Sort out everything you have and make a selection for the memory jar. I decided on cinema-, concert/festival- and sight seeing tickets.

Step 3. Fill the jar in a way so that your favorite things are at display and find a good place for it in your home.

This may be the most easy DIY you can imagine but I still love the idea.
Let's make some more memories!

Love,
Noes

Porcelain painting

For Christmas I already made a few personal gifts using porcelain paint on mugs. Since those turned out to be a great success, I decided to take my chances and make some more.

The first plate I made, this one, had such positive responses that I continued with another fun saying and added some color...

And made a duo of cake plates upon request for a friend.

Since there were a present for a birthday I wrapped them up According To Noes style and off they went. Fingers crossed that the birthday girl will like them!

What will be next?

Love,

Noes

Christmas is: Home made desert

With Christmas there are many possibillities to celebrate at restaurants but how good is home made food!
I especially agree on this when it comes to desert.
This year I made tiramisu and pear-cherry crumble.

 

Both are easy to make, but since the crumble was something different I present you the recipe:

- Sliced up 3 pears and add 100 grams of cherries
- Mix in 50 grams of cane sugar
- Divide the mixture over 6 small baking pans
- Make a dough out of 200 grams of cane sugar, 200 grams of butter and 200 grams of plain flour
- Add to the top and bake for 45 minutes at 190 degrees

Super easy but so delicious, enjoy!

Love,
Noes

Christmas is: DIY presents

Fun to make and fun to get, a personalised present for Christmas.
Lately I have been wanting to try out porcelain paint and that idea let to some more presents to hand out.

For mom

 

 

 

 

For dad

 

 

 

For my sister Anouk

 

 

 

 

For my sister Esther

 

 

 

The only things you need: porcelain paint, a tiny brush, something to paint on, patience and an oven.
There are many colors paint available and you can paint on any porcelain or ceramic surface. According To Noes tableware here we come?

 

Love,
Noes

Christmas is: wrapping presents extra special

One of the most fun things of Christmas is wrapping the presents you bought for others. Luckely I had some practice before!
For instance you can use labels (the oldskool brown ones of handmade), ribbon, string, masking tape and spice up the brown paper with fun stamps.

 

Writing a fun line on the labels usually does the trick too, let your guests be curious: who's getting that pretty present?
And last but not least, Christmas preperations are so much fun.

Happy holidays!

Love,
Noes

Cake stand

It happens more than once in a while. You are looking for that one thing: the perfect jeans, those exact shoes you had seen online, furniture that's all in the same color range..
It is exactly then that you can do whatever you want, try so hard but you won't find it.
Don't worry, you really are not the only one.
For the last couple of weeks I have been looking for new cake stands. I didn't even have one exact idea in my head but still, I could hardly find any!
And the rare ones I did find where only big enough for one cupcake or pretty but after a closer look crooked. Frustrating right?

So sometimes a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do. I made one myself!

I bought a gorgeous plate and vase at the second hand store, gave then a good scrub and with a little imagination they became one piece.
Since the outcome is so fabulous, I don't intent to quit anytime soon.

Bring in the cake, 'cause we are ready for it!

Love,
Noes

Spinach and cheese pasta

Now that I have more spare time, I like to experiment some more with recipes.
Last night is was time for the spinach and cheese pasta I found a while back and since it was a success I'm sharing it with you all!

As a main course for 6 people you will need:
- 500 gr of pasta, rigatoni or conchilgie for example.
- 2 ts of olive oil
- 75 gr of butter
- 75 gr of flour
- 700 ml of milk
- 200 gr of Gorgonzola cheese
- 600 gr of fresh spinach
- 2 cloves of garlic
- italian herbs
- 250 gr of ricotta cheese

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.
2. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
3. Heat the butter in a pan and add the flour. Bake it about 5 minutes while stirring, it looks a little like dough now. Add the milk and get it to boil while still stirring. Once the sauce is thickened you add the Gorgonzola and salt and pepper to your taste. Again let it softly boil for 5 minutes.
4. Heat the olive oil in a wok and add the spinach in shares with the garlic. Keep heating it until it reduces, add salt and pepper to your taste.
5. Mix the spinach with the pasta and put it in an baking dish. Add the cheesesaus to it and mix again.
6. Add the Italian herbs, some pepper and salt to the ricotta cheese and spread it on top of it all.
7. Bake it for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Love,
Noes

Jurassic Gold

A while ago I discovered DIY spray paint animals on Pinterest, they were so cool! Why didn't I think of that? I took one of the best pictures there as an example and created the golden hippo.

As seen above he now guards my desk very convincingly.
After discovering some more examples, I decided it was time for mr. Hippo to have some company.

They are fun, real movie celebrities and form the perfect team to decorate your home.
What steps have I taken?
1. Clean them with warm water and St. Mark to prep them
2. Cover your workspace with plenty of paper or plastic
3. Give them two thin layers of spray paint, of course you can use any color you like
4. Decorate specific parts with glitter, you do this after the spray paint is completely dry. Add some blank nailpolish on the part you want to glitter, sprinkle enough glitter on to cover all the nailpolish and tap of the excess.

That's it!

I really like the result even though it's such an easy and low budget DIY project. You can find these plastic toy animals in a regular toy store but you could even look for them in second hand shops and buy the spray paint in a dollar store. It really is that easy.

Have fun making them!

Rawr from the Jurassic Gold team

Happy Halloween!

This year I decided to take part in the Halloween celebration. Fun costumes, decorating the place, making themed snacks...
Unfortunately Halloween is officially upcoming Wednesday which means all my friends will have the work early the next day. But I don't give up so easily, we just celebrate on the weekends!

Here's my kind of Halloween party in a few simple steps

1. Dress up!
My bat costume included small ears made of a black headband en felt, bat wings made of tricot, a little black dress and nailpolish claws.
None of  them are rocket science but still super cute! It was obviously extra fun to dance to Michael Jackson's thriller wearing this.

2. Decorate!
Bunting, a pumpkin, the right table wear, creepy animals and fire. To me those are pretty much the basics.
I mostly want the desert table to be perfect but some extra bunting can't hurt!

 

Print out characters in a pretty font and cut them out of wallpaper, word bunting!

 

Spiders, Jack-O-Lantern faces and thomb stones

 

Pumpkin carving

 

Spider webs, spiders and bats

 

Boo! Straw bunting

3. Fill that table!
Cupcakes, candy, drinks.. whatever you make, make it in style!

 

Brain cupcakers, even the crow wants to steal one

 

Bloody cocktails
I've got my eye on you!

 

Napkins in style

 

Chopped fingers...

 

and without some spooky candy, it's not a real Halloween

There are many ways towards a great Halloween, this is mine and we sure had a blast! As you can see you don't always have to spend a lot of money to have something cool, there are many things you can make yourself. Honestly, it's even more fun when you do.

Have fun!

Love,
The wicked witches, crow lady, fortune teller, Wednesday and Bat Noes