What’s On my Workdesk this Wednesday? Same as last week – a mess. Also, like last week, my creativity has been away from the studio, in the kitchen and on my lap in the sitting room working on Phase 2 of my Eco Project.
Eco Project Phase 2: Make-Up Remover Pads
I have always used those little circular cotton wool pads to remove my make-up. They are rather small and fiddly, and I do get through quite a lot of them. I came across a few websites which gave instructions for making a more permanent version and thought it would be fun to make some.
In keeping with the “eco” theme, I used recycled materials throughout. I have a stack of worn out old towels and tea towels – the latter having just been replaced with new ones. Some of these old tea towels belonged to my grandmother and were probably 40 or 50 years old – I have certainly been using them since long before I got married, and some of them were literally worn to holes! They were mostly only worn in the centre, and the edges were still pretty much OK, so I thought I would use the fabric from there for my little pads. I also thought it would be rather fun to make a feature of the old-fashioned striped borders of the towels, because it would show the pads’ origins.
I began by drawing round a roll of masking tape so that I could cut out the circles.
The next step was to pin them onto the old towels, also worn in the middle but better around the edges. This would form the other side of each pad.
I also cut pairs of thin old towel, slightly smaller, drawing round a smaller roll of masking tape. These pieces would form the padding in the centre of the pads.
I tacked the padding pieces onto the tea towel circles, and then laid the faces of the pads right side together and sewed around, leaving a gap for turning.
Here are all the pads, sewn and turned inside out, ready to have the gap hand-sewn closed.
This is what they looked like after they were sewn closed.
On the website, the instruction was to top-stitch around, to neaten the edges, and also to anchor the internal padding in place. However, mine ended up so thick that they wouldn’t fit under the foot of my sewing machine, so I decided to top-stitch them by hand. It was obviously going to be difficult to make them look as neat as machine-sewn. I thought about it a bit, and decided that if they had to be sewn on the outside in order to anchor the filling, why not make a feature of it, and do something pretty and decorative?
Using 3 strands of stranded cotton, I embroidered round the edge of each pad, using two shades of co-ordinating thread.
Here is the complete set of pads, duly finished.
Now for some close-up shots showing the detail of the embroidery. You can see the stripes in the recycled tea towels.
Here are some pictures showing the tea towel side and the softer towelling side.
These plain blue ones were made from some worn out table napkins.
I also made a drawstring bag from a flour sack towel (see Phase 1 of the Eco Project for what I did with the other flour sack towels.) This will hang in the bathroom and be used to hold the used pads, which will be soaked and given a hot wash with the towels each week. I will probably wash them in this bag, to stop them getting lost in the washing machine. I was careful to use all cotton materials (apart from the linen of some of the old tea towels) for this project, to withstand the hot 90 degree wash.
I was originally going to keep them in a glass biscuit jar with a screw-top lid which is quite attractive, but I’ve made too many to fit in. I have had this little metal bucket for ages – I think someone gave it to me with a plant in it. It looks quite pretty with the little pads in it, and it will do for now.
I’ll let you know how I get on with them, and how well they work! They feel nice and substantial, and I think they will be a lot less fiddly to use than the disposable cotton wool ones.
Cooking
I did my normal meal prep yesterday after my grocery delivery. This time I mostly concentrated on roasting some veggies – I did a large quantity of mixed veggies and also two heads of cauliflower florets, and two peppers.
The results at the end of the session.
Recipe of the Week
Santa Fe Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
I made these last week and photographed the different stages, but as usual I forgot to photograph the finished dish when it came out of the oven – at this stage I have already called my hubby to eat, and am concentrating on getting the meal on the table and eating before it gets cold.
The first time I cooked this dish, I used three long sweet red peppers.
They did rather flatten out when I roasted them. I decided at this stage that the next time I made the dish, I would use normal peppers, and cut them transversely rather than longitudinally, and that is what I did – you can see them in my meal prep photo above.
Here is the stuffing mixture being cooked in my large sauté pan/skillet. There was enough to make the dish three times, so I put the excess in the freezer.
It is lovely and spicy and contains black beans, which I pressure cooked in my Ninja Foodi.
Here are the stuffed peppers ready to go in the oven. I kept them together by inserting cocktail sticks diagonally through them, and this worked very well.
The only difference in their appearance after they came out of the oven was that they were slightly browned and crisped on top.
Delicious!
I served them this time with some smashed potatoes – not as successful as I had hoped, because as usual when using the air fryer facility on my Ninja Foodi, I overcooked them and they got a bit charred! That machine is very fierce. Anyway, next time I hope to do better. On the website, she says that if you refrigerate the potatoes after you have baked them, and then reheat them, you convert the starch to resistant starch. This is something I have been aware of for some time, and it’s a very good tip. Any starchy carbohydrate, such as potato, rice, pasta etc. will react in this way. It is a chemical change, and the resulting resistant starch is harder for the body to digest, which means it takes longer. This means that it does not cause an immediate insulin spike, and in addition it is much better for your general gut health, and aids in weight loss as well. Win-win all round.
I have always cooked my rice this way. It is a method I inherited from my mother and grandmother, and it is absolutely fail-safe, and you don’t have to faff around measuring out the water. For white rice, you just add the rice into a large pot of rapidly boiling water, stir, and boil rapidly with the lid off for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick. For brown rice, you do the same, but boil for 20 minutes. When it is cooked, you strain the whole thing through a sieve and pour cold water through it to stop it cooking. At this stage it can be refrigerated or frozen, and the chemical change will do its magic.
When you are ready to eat, you simply put the rice back in the sieve and pour boiling water through it to heat it through. It is so convenient, because you can concentrate on the main part of the meal and know you don’t have to worry about the rice, which can easily be cooked in advance.
The stuffed peppers that I made yesterday were much better – they held together brilliantly. I shall definitely use normal round peppers from now on.
Health Update
Well, not really a health update, but several months ago I had to apply for the new disability benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which has replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) which I have been receiving for several years. I had been given an indefinite award of this benefit, so I was not best pleased to have to go through the awful process of re-applying – the form is over 40 pages long and it’s a very stressful process. I am fortunate in having access to some very helpful guides through my subscription to Benefits and Work, and I also got the final draft of my form vetted by a volunteer at Age UK. I knew I’d have a long wait, and that everybody now has to undergo an interview and examination. Yesterday the dreaded letter arrived, and I have to turn up a week tomorrow at 9.30 a.m. The appointment will take at least an hour and will include a physical examination and what amounts to a cross-examination. I provided a very comprehensive summary of my day-to-day life and how my disability affects me, when I submitted my application, and also corroborating letters from various medical professionals, but this is not sufficient, it seems. I am feeling pretty stressed about it, because I know how the system works. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employs commercial organisations to carry out these interviews, and they have a financial interest in refusing as many people as possible. Obviously the government is trying to save money, and to weed out the benefits fraudsters, but it puts vulnerable disabled and sick people at a grave disadvantage and one reads absolute horror stories about the treatment of some people. It is almost a given that your application will be turned down after your interview, and you then have to go through the motions of appealing.
I really resent having to go through this whole ghastly process, especially as previously I was deemed “worthy” of receiving an indefinite award of benefit to cover the extra expenses of living with a disability. The whole thing stinks, and I can’t wait for it to be over, regardless of the outcome.
I was initially turned down with my DLA application and I wrote some pretty stiff letters, and got my MP involved (he was wonderful!) – and they caved in like lambs and awarded me the benefit, giving reasons for my acceptance which totally contradicted the reasons they gave me for my initial rejection. Go figure.
Outing to Dartmoor
On a lighter note, I was keen to try my new Trekinetic wheelchair on some different off-road terrain, and Thursday being a lovely day last week, my hubby took me up on the moors. I have been up a few times in the car, but never managed to venture further. When I was fully mobile, I used to love going off on my own, parking the car and striking off and climbing a tor or two. The views are stunning – you can see for miles, and on a beautiful summer’s day the air is fresh and sweet-smelling and quite unlike anywhere else on earth. I simply adore it, and feel so blessed that this beautiful landscape is only minutes away by car.
We took a picnic lunch and then took a little “walk” as far as I was able to go! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to the top of a tor, despite what other people say about climbing Mt. Snowdon in their Trekinetics!!
More pictures here.
Kitties
Thought you might like to see this picture which I have entitled “Identikits”…
…for obvious reasons!
Ruby is going through another “off Mummy” phase at the moment, running away from me when I try to stroke her, and refusing to come on my lap. Rather pointedly, as soon as my hubby sits down, she jumps straight up onto his lap, which is a lot less comfortable than mine, I might add. The little baggage.
Hope you all have a lovely creative week. I hope by next week, Phase 3 of my Eco Project will be ready. Happy WOYWW everyone.
Hi Shoshi, fingers crossed with the assessment. they have of late been getting into a lot of trouble over the sheer number of people who have been turned down, then subsequently having the assessment overturned at appeal, so I think they are being less inclined to turn people down now. Good job with the make up remover pads, seems a great idea. Have a lovely week, Hugs, Shaz #5 X
I have those tea towels too but wouldn’t have thought of them for make up removers. Have to admit to having a whizzy read as am at lunch at work. Have a good day . Helen #1
What a clever idea those make up removers are, i’m going to have to try this out.. Fabulous idea Shoshi and all so beautifully stitched.
Those roasted peppers made me hungry, one of my favourite things topped with a little halloumi.
Wishing you all the best with the DWP assessment, I hope you will be seen by someone who has empathy and can see from the onset how much you need that helping hand.
Nice to see you out and about in your chariot, it suites you well amongst the beautiful landscape.
Have fun and enjoy. Creative Hugs Tracey #15
P.S It’s like a spot the difference pic with the kitties :))
Hi Love your idea of eco pads, I’m all for things like this too. Great tutorial too, so Thank You for that. I must give that recipe a try as it looks so inviting. Hope you Enjoy a Good Week. Hugs Rita xxx
I love your ECO pads – brill idea- if I ever get time I would love to give these a go. Don’t get me started on PIP!! Grr. All three of my (now adult) children have to go though this. They had all been given DLA indefinately and now I have to fill in the forms, try to find evidence ( they have no consultants or social workers anymore) AND go along with them to the assesments. So I certainly feel your pain. My eldest has an assesment on 18th 20 miles away. They only let you change the appointment once and hers came when we were away- rearranged it for when we came back and they cancelled the day before – so i now have to use a work day up grrr. Just sent off forms for daughter No2 so am expecting another interveiw soon.
I hope your assesment goes well darling.
Dartmoore is one of my fav places- Our holiday this year was in Cornwall but we couldnt resist a trip to Dartmoore as well. It is truly stunning – glad you are able to get out a bit , even if not to the top.
Soojay 24
That’s a clever idea making those reusable pads – I have spare towelling left over somewhere and once I’m back in the JanCave, will be making dishcloths etc so I’ll use up the scraps copying your idea, if you don’t mind!
Hugs LLJ 6 xxx
Hi Shoshi. Goodness. What a lot of work you put into those make up removers. I think I’m glad I haven’t worn make up in over 20 years. I’d never have had the patience to put in all that work. Trust the assessment goes well.
Take care. God bless.
Margaret #3
Loving phase 2 of the eco project – you have made them so pretty as well with the embroidery. I am praying for your DWP assessment and hope you are seen by someone understanding and nice. So glad you can get out in your new chair onto the moors. Love the Identikits! Have a lovely week. With love & God Bless, Caro x (#11)
Hi Shoshi, those make-up remover pads are a great way of using your old towels. Otherwise it would have been a shame to throw them out – they’ve given long service and now, hopefully, they will continue to be use for many more years to come. You clearly have a lot of patience to embroider round each and every one – I’d be tempted to sew the three layers together with the overcasting stitch on my sewing machine. Much quicker, and easier. The stuffed peppers look delicious and I am so interested in the information about resistant starch. Having IGT, I avoid carbohydrate when I can but it’s not easy. This may help. It’s good to see you getting out and about in your new mode of transport. Good luck with the assessment – fingers crossed you’re one of the lucky ones and one interview/medical is enough. Love to your kitties – even the naughty one. Elizabeth x #19
What a fab idea making your own pads, lovely cooking also, and love those cats and love the title you have given them
happy WOYWDW
Lilian B #12
Loving the new Make-up remover pads, great idea and I look forward to hearing how you get on with them. The new wheelchair looks really useful. Have a great crafty week and a happy woyww, Angela x8x
Now there’s a lot of beautiful embroidery right there. I’m just learning and my brain is boggled at seeing french knots (?) on some of those pads. You’ve made a thing of beauty of something that I wouldn’t even have considered. You should start up a sideline in those – they would fly. I love the idea of washing them in the bag too. Isn’t it funny you say all your towels are going in the middle? I am about to replace mine because all round the edges have gone so much that they have all started ripping across them. Weird. Middles are fine.
You live in such a beautiful area – love that photo. As for what you are experiencing – I offer my sympathy – my sister has had such issues with them and they blatantly lied in her refusal saying they didn’t get certain pieces of evidence which she had receipts off them for. I hope it all goes your way.
Carmen x #30
I do hope the interview isn’t too stressful next week Shoshi. Thanks for the rice tips, I didn’t know that at all. Meow to the kitties from Jess, she has gone back home now but is welcome to come and stay again any time. Your eco make up removers are works of art! Happy WOYWW. Sarah #7
Look at you in your super powered machine! Go girl go! I do hope this makes a big difference to your life and you get to visit many places you couldn’t previously. I too was a walker and I so miss our trips to the hills and coast. Old age!! Phewy!
Not surprised you have not had time for crafting with all that you are doing in a week. Love the eye cleaner pads and the cooking, well it speaks for itself.
Don’t get me going on these disability pensions/allowances and things. The trouble is, in my opinion, they have let too many people through the net who have not needed the assistance in the past that folks like us who have worked and now need it are having to jump through hoops to get something.
I remember being turned down for a blue badge years ago when I was struggling with walking but was talking to a lady who was ‘huge’ but healthy who got one because she needed the extra space to open the car door to let herself out on account of her stature. Didn’t seem fair to me. Anyway, good luck with the assessment. Guess you are there now so I am praying for a good out come for you.
Love the picture of the cats, no accounting for Ruby’s mood I guess. Little minx.
Hugs, Neet 2 xx
The make-up removers you made are too charming to dirty up with make-up, especially since you used vintage towels that belonged to your grandmother to make them. Are they large enough to use as coasters? As always the food in your pictures looks delicious, but at least today I had breakfast, so they didn’t make me hungry. I’m sorry you had so much trouble with your health benefits, but glad you got that resolved. Dartmoor looks amazing, and your kitties are delightful. Happy belated WOYWW!
Love those make-up removers, you are clever.
Don’t envy you visit to the DWP, I went with my niece the other week…… how tempers didn’t get frayed I do not know! Such questions! She has to wait a few weeks now for the letter.
I am sending you an email reference a possible meet up on 19th Sept…….
happy belated (very!) WOYWW
Christine #17
Hi there Shoshi, well those make up pads are simply gorgeous.. brill idea and design, when you do something you go all out, obviously use lots of them, I wear minimal makeup so rarely use them.. but of Creme to powder makeup with ongoing sponge in it, and lippy and I’m fine! Unless wedding or such then go all out. For me that is!
I had to stop some so just make do with minimal.
Cooking looks good, very interesting too. But can’t eat peppers or cauliflower onion or lots of yummy goodies.
Happy very belated WOYWW. Thanks for sharing, Shaz in Oz.x #4
{Wonderful Words of Life – Shaz in Oz}
{Calligraphy Cards – Shaz in Oz}
Sorry forgot rest of comment, praying now on your Monday for your appointment to be blessed of God and like mine, you’ll miraculously receive it straight away.
Also glad you’re able to get out more. Dartmoor has always intrigued me, you certainly had amazing clear day.
Xxxx ????????????
Your eco projects really inspire me. I love the embroidery on the edges. They are lovely.
I am sorry you have to go through so much bureaucracy to receive aid. How frustrating that is. Try not to stress too much.
Your photos from your outing are lovely. What a beautiful day you had for an outdoor adventure!
Have a blessed week!
Belinda #23
Thanks so much for the link for these – they are fabulous – what a great idea, I have loads of old towels and tea towels that should be sorted out – now I know what I’m going to do with them! I know you had had some problems with your old blog but I had no idea of the extent of them – what a horrible experience for you.
I was unable to comment back to you on your most recent blog post – possibly because I’ve already made two comments and they thought my chattering needed to be curbed!!
Thanks again,
Diana x