Create Archives - Page 5 of 7

My first real Christmas tree DIY

Dec 26, 2018 | Create

This post’s a little late but I wanted to share because I got my first real Christmas tree!

American Samoa is a tropical little island that doesn’t have a lot of pine trees, and certainly not any of your typical Christmas-tree looking ones. So every year, the local Rotary Club and Tool Shop collaborate to bring in a shipping container filled with nothing but Christmas trees. It’s not a lot a lot, but plenty enough for those of us on island who are pining for that holiday pine scent.

Growing up, my parents always had an artificial tree which was at the time way more economical and of course cost effective. Now, living in a small apartment with my boyfriend, we don’t have a lot of space to store a fake tree in the off-season. You might remember my little DIY Christmas tree last year – check it out here.

This year, since we’ve cut down on more of our material possessions and because Ian’s parents were visiting us for the holidays (and will meet my parents for the first time!!), I decided it would be fun and memorable to get a real Christmas tree!

We set the six foot noble fir in our living room and wrapped an old tapestry around the base to make it look cozy. I didn’t have a plan on how to decorate it but I knew I wanted it to be a little different and I wanted to use what I had.

I spent several hours one arvo cutting pieces of mis-matched fabric scraps I had leftover from other projects and sewed together a long string of colorful bunting to use as a garland for the tree. Ian and I put on some holiday music and hung up the upcycled bunting and string lights we had used for years. Our only actual ornament was a little stuffed knit snowman that Ian received in a care package his parents sent for his first Christmas in American Samoa almost five years ago. Other than that one which we’ve kept over the years, I don’t want to collect ornaments. So instead, I picked out my favorite instax film photos taken of friends and family over the last seven years and hung it up with colorful binder clips. I also made a few (like, literally three) other ornaments from air dry clay, and picked up a random few things around the house like rattan coasters and strung it up too.

It’s such a simple but meaningful Christmas tree to me!

Easy DIY Natural Wood Butter

Oct 29, 2018 | Create, Sustainable Living

I’ve never put much thought or care into how I’m supposed to clean and condition my wood cutting boards, bowls or utensils… but this super easy homemade wood butter is everything I need to get shiny buttery wood! Lollllllll

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Ingredients:

Natural beeswax
Cold pressed coconut oil
Lemon

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Mix 1 part beeswax with 3 parts coconut oil in a bowl. Heat in microwave for ~30 seconds until it’s all melted. Squeeze the juice of a lemon in the bowl and stir. Pour into a wide glass jar. Let it cool for a few hours, and voila! Apply a thin layer to condition your wood to give it a brand new sheen so it lasts longer and prevents mold. Plus it’s totally food safe!

Making cloth napkins + elei printing

Oct 27, 2018 | Create, Sustainable Living

A couple of weeks ago, Gabby told me she was planning her sister Siumu’s surprise baby shower and she might need some help. She said she was inspired by what I’ve been doing to live a more sustainable life and decided on an eco-friendly tropical theme for the party. What?! How cool!! This made me very excited to hear her list out all the ways she was opting for a zero waste event. I immediately offered to provide cloth napkins (instead of paper towels), and before I knew it, Gabby came over to my house with a giant bundle of orange fabric. I just had to cut and hem. But it seemed too plain, and Gabby was already pulling all the stops, so I had to level up (yassss to Ciara + Parri$).

I finally had a good reason to use this elei stencil I bought in Samoa over New Year.

It took a looooong time but once I set up my workbench and did a couple of test prints, I found my groove. I cut the long fabric into pieces that could fit 4 napkins, taped the stencil down and placed two 2×4 blocks to keep the fabric from warping, poured and painted with a roller, took it out to the balcony to dry, and repeated this… about 15 more times! With less than 24 hours before the event, I couldn’t leave them out to dry, so thankfully Ian helped and ironed all the pieces to heat set the fabric paint. Then I cut out the 4 napkins from each strip, and took it to my sewing machine to do a raw hem edge.

Like I said, it took foreverrrr. I started on Friday afternoon and finished at 5am the next day, just a few hours before the surprise baby shower! Oh man, if it weren’t for Gabby, I don’t think I would have done any of this but I’m glad they turned out. I’ll be posting photos from the beautiful baby shower super soon!

Photo Journal: I made a duvet cover!

Oct 10, 2018 | Create, Lifestyle

Last weekend, I mustered up all my creative energy and patience and got to work behind my sewing machine to make my own DIY duvet cover. Now if you’re reading this and know where I live, you’re probably wondering to yourself – why the heck would she even have a duvet? Isn’t it disgusting humid in American Samoa most of the year? Welp, yes. BUT if there’s one thing I love more than falling asleep to the sound of this tropical rain, it’s getting all snuggled up under a down feather duvet while it’s absolutely pouring outside. Can you say #hygge? Look it up. Also, I found out the a/c in my room works and it’s changed my life.

SO the past few years I’ve had a naked white duvet. And after many breakfasts in bed, dinner over movie nights, and just general klutziness and spillage, it was time to literally put a sheet over it. I wanted to order a cute minimalistic duvet cover but figured I should change it up, go for a full color/print fabric, and make my own. Ian and I hit Forsgren’s fabric aisle and both agreed on this forest green island-y print cotton fabric.

All in all, I spent a little less than $50 on fabric, and probably something like 6 hours on measuring/cutting/sewing (give or take a couple of hours for in-between breaks haha) since we have a massive cal king-size bed. It was quite an undertaking for me since it’s just such a huge piece, but it was fun and I felt so proud of myself for doing beautiful french seams. Also major props to Ian for keeping me entertained when I needed a break, and I think he cleaned the whole house and like, fixed the car or something, while I did just this!

Anywayyyy- here are photos of me and Office Scruffles taking up the task. Please excuse my sewing outfit and shoes! Comfort for comforters… I’m also writing this at 1am so please bare with me and my sass. Photos by Mr. Ian-credible.

DIY Duvet Cover in island print fabric | Nerelle.com

5 Ways to Power Through a Creative Slump

Aug 20, 2018 | Create, Lifestyle

1. Morning Pages

I recently started writing morning pages, which is a meditative practice of writing anything and everything you’re thinking about for 15 minutes and pouring out all your thoughts on paper so you get it out of your system and maybe get clarity from it.

2. Start a short daily challenge.

I know it seems counterintuitive to start a challenge while you’re in a creative slump, but it’s a good way to push yourself to do something, anything creative – even if it’s following a challenge prompt. At least you’re making something. For me, I’ve tried a minimalism challenge which really helped to get me thinking outside of the box, and a daily drawing challenge which made me feel good about myself just because I’m making something.

3. Follow a routine

Do you work best in the morning or evening? What does your morning/night routine look like? When I’m in a funky mood, I try to make sure I get myself in a good mood first thing in the morning. I wake up early and do easy yoga stretches in bed to wake my mind and body up, then quickly write my morning pages, put on tunes while I pick out what to wear, eat breakfast while glancing at my phone notifications, then make a to-do list for the day and work my way through them. I stick to this routine as much as I can so that I don’t have to think about how to get started, I just do it.

4. Watch only one video on YouTube

I love YouTube. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of creative vlogs, and it’s really making me want to start vlogging too. So I watch these when I’m in the dumps. But it’s important to limit yourself so you don’t get lost in random videos. I suggest you find something you’re interested in, or check your ‘watch later’ playlist. And then once that’s done, exit out of YouTube, or put on some lofi/chillhop music to get you groovin’ for the day.

5. Just commit

It’s almost impossible to always be motivated and inspired. Some days I’m thriving with motivation and ideas, and other days I feel like I’m just barely surviving. Go over your goals, reevaluate them, and commit commit commit. If you can power through a day in the dumps, you can do anything.

Here’s are some pics I took of myself on one of those meh days.

DIY: Cloth Bento Bag

Jul 12, 2018 | Create, Sustainable Living

Please welcome the newest addition to my zero waste kit – this 100% cotton cloth bento bag!

I love the florals, the elephants, the colors and the paisley pattern. And it’s so so soft. I’ve been loving my lime green cloth bento bag that I made several months ago as a draft but the seams are messy. I’ll continue to use it as a backup bento bag and for grocery shopping. This new bento bag is extra special to me because the fabric is from an upcycled circle skirt that I bought from a market in India back in 2012. I’ve always loved the soft cotton material and the earthy tones so I kept it over the years even though I almost never wore it.

Cloth bento bags are useful for carrying leftovers in containers, produce from grocery stores (instead of plastic), and I’ve even used it for pizza takeaway (the only time I ever had to wash it). They’re also great as reusable gift wrappers.

STEP 1

Measure 10 inches x 30 inches of fabric and cut with some space for seam allowance. Width to height

STEP 2

From bottom left corner of your rectangle, fold up so it’s aligned with the top of the fabric, making a triangle.

STEP 3

From top right corner of rectangle, fold down so it’s aligned with the bottom of fabric, making another triangle.

STEP 4

Now from bottom right edge, fold up diagonally so that your folded fabric looks like the photo above.

Finally

Sew up where the edges meet on the front and back so you have this open box shape. Swipe right to see the finished project above.

And voila – you’re done!

To use, simply put your tupperware/ produce/ gift inside and tie a knot. It may not look like much but the knot will hold and you can easily carry it around in your lunch bag or tote.

Thanks to everyone who wrote me about my sustainable living posts!

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