DIY: Homemade Peanut Butter and healthy Nutella + GIVEAWAY

Hello everyone,

another DIY post is here for you to try out, this time a food-related one. I'm presenting you two DIY recipes - homemade peanut butter and healthy Nutella! And at the end of the post, you can find all the details about the little giveaway I prepared in honour of the 1st Blogoversary.

I'm sure many of us love peanut butter and Nutella. Nutella was my go-to breakfast during my childhood and peanut butter is a more recent discovery. But as you may know, they are not the healthiest things to eat since they contain loads of unnecessary sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and other artificial ingredients. Overload of calories. However, it is possible to make them healthy, delicious and nutritious if you prepare them in your own kitchen.

PEANUT BUTTER recipe:

Ingredients:

250g peanuts (shelled, skinned, roasted, unsalted)

3 tbsp coconut/peanut oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp liquid sweetener (honey/maple syrup)

Preparation:

1. Place the peanuts into a food processor. 

2. Blend for 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

3. Blend again and scrape down the sides. Then, add the oil, salt and sweetener. 

4. Blend and scrape down the sides until you get a smooth cream which shouldn't be too thick - in this case, add more oil.

5. Transfer the peanut butter into a glass jar. Store in the fridge.

Healthy NUTELLA recipe:

Ingredients:

100g hazelnuts

5 tbsp raw cacao powder

3 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp liquid sweetener (honey/maple syrup)

Preparation:

1. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and blend into flour.

2. Add cacao, oil, salt and sweetener. Blend again and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

3. Continue blending until you get a creamy consistency.

4. Transfer the choco-hazelnutty cream into a glass jar. Store in the fridge.

Now, where to use them? Spread them on toasted bread, add them into oatmeal, put them on fruit... You decide. Just use your imagination. I really hope you will try at least one recipe, it won't take you too long to master it.

And now the little GIVEAWAY!

One lucky winner will receive a unique handmade silver bracelet and a Soraya deodorant! The bracelet is made by me. All the beads/pearls are handmade - the little silver stones are glued onto the balls. And Soraya is a very popular brand here in Slovenia; I tried this deodorant which I really like, so I decided to order another one for this gevaway.

To participate, fill out the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is international. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


See you next Sunday,

Vanja

1st Blog Anniversary

Hello everyone,

as you may know I usually post at Sundays but - today is a special day for me and this blog. Exactly one year ago, it was Sunday July 7, the first blog post was uploaded. So today I'm celebrating the 1st anniversary!

The year flew by really quickly. I managed to write 21 posts (without this one) - it may not sound a lot but in my opinion, quality is above quantity. I also got so many views, lovely comments and amazing followers from all over the world. It is hard to describe how excited and happy I get when someone writes a comment, gives me a feedback, likes my Facebook page or simply just reads the things I wrote. The feeling is priceless.

In honor of this day, a little giveaway will be going on. More details about the prize and how to participate will be posted this Sunday when I'll also share a new DIY recipe with you (hint - the glass jar on the picture above), get excited!
And I cannot end writing this post without...

A BIG thank you for reading and following Crayons and Beads!

I wish you a great start of the week,

Vanja

DIY: Personalized diary/notebook

"Creativity is contagious, pass it on." - Albert Einstein

Hello everyone,

summer has ended and it is officially autumn again. Another study year will start on Tuesday (October 1st) for me and other Slovenian students. I'm starting my 3rd year of medicine which sadly means blogging will be the last thing I'd take time for. But this does not mean I'm quitting! I just won't be able to upload a post every Sunday. I'll try to have up two posts per month.

Now onto the fun part! As I promised, here is another fun and easy DIY. Earlier this week, I got a small notebook as a gift but I hated its cover. However, since it could be very useful for taking notes and other things, I decided "it's time for a makeover" and I totally like the final result. Of course, you can do with your diary or notebook (or any kind of book) whatever you prefer! This is just an idea what I did and to get you into the being-creative-mood.

What you will need:
1) diary or notebook
2) paper
3) stickers
4) markers
5) scissors
6) glue (I used UHU stick glue)

How to make:

1) Place the paper onto the cover of the diary/notebook, press around the edges (arrows on 1st photo) and glue them both together.

2) Fold the rest of the paper and glue it to the inside of the diary/notebook.

3) Now it is time to use some stickers, markers and all your imagination! Draw and write whatever will keep you motivated during the study/school year.

All the best till next time,

Vanja

Other DIY posts you might like:

DIY: Bring old shirts back to life (part 1)

DIY: Hair bow

Hair time: Fishtail half updo

"I don't consider myself bald, I'm just taller than my hair." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Hello everyone,

today's post is dedicated especially to girls and women (sorry guys, nothing against you!) because it is a hair tutorial, as I promised in the previous post. I call it the fishtail half updo in which I also used my DIY hair bow. This hairstyle is so easy and fast to create, it took me only about 5 minutes. And it looks adorable! Interested? Keep on reading!

What you will need:
1) hair :)
2) bobby pins
3) hair bow or any other hair accessory

How to make it:
1) Take a smaller section of hair from the right side and start creating a fishtail braid:
     - divide that section into two sections,
     - take a tiny strand from the left section and put it to the right one, then take a tiny strand from the right section and put it to the left one,
     - repeat the previous line and continue braiding.
2) For best results, braid the hair right next to your head.
3) When you get to the middle of the back of the head, stop braiding and take one or two bobby pins to secure the braid in place.
4) Repeat step 1-3, this time on the left side.
5) Now you should have two little fishtail braids. To spice it up and hide the bobby pins, add a hair bow! (I think I failed this step...Kind of.)

Keep in mind that I'm not a pro. I did not make it perfect at all, my hair was freshly washed (and not fully dry) so it was not cooperating with me properly. I hope you will give it a try!

Have a nice day!

Vanja

DIY: Hair bow

“You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” - Maya Angelou

Hello everyone,

it's been a while ago since I've done a DIY (do it yourself) project so I decided to make a new one and write about it in this post. Today I will show you how to make a hair bow! I bet this is one of the easiest DIY's ever! No sewing required. Great, right? And you need only a few supplies. I wonder why I did not make myself some cute hair bows before...

Let's start!

What you will need:
1) some pieces of fabric (mine are the leftovers from the crop tops I made out of old shirts, tutorial HERE)
2) scissors
3) fabric glue (or glue for every material)
4) one or two heavy books

How to make it:
1) Take a piece of fabric, fold all four edges to create the shape of a rectangle and glue them to stay in place.
2) Put the rectangular fabric under a very heavy book (or two, like I did) for 10 to 15 minutes so the glue has time to dry a little bit.
3) Now take the fabric and fold it in the middle (as shown in the picture) to create the shape of a bow. Then, with the glue bond the folds and squeeze them together for a few minutes so the glue can dry.
4) From another piece of fabric, cut off a strip of fabric, put it around the center of the bow and of course, glue it.

5) Leave the bow to dry completely for a couple of hours.
6) To convert it into a hair bow:
     - take one or two bobby pins and put them through the strip of fabric on the back, or
     - take a larger hair clip and glue it on the back of the bow.

And you are done! You can make a ton of them, I know I will. Next time, I will show you how to use this cute little thing in a hairstyle. Now I have to get back to studying.

Happy Sunday!

Vanja

DIY: Bring old shirts back to life (part 1)

"It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project." - Napoleon Hill

Hello everyone,

I decided to write a DIY post about how to bring old shirts back to life. This is the first part, because I will write down more options in the future posts.
To start with, DIY stands for do it yourself . If you have any old out-of-date shirts, long or short sleeved (it doesn't really matter) which you don't like to wear anymore, then keep on reading.

How to make a crop top

(The "before" picture looks kind of funny because it was taken after I cut everything off.)

What you will need:

an old shirt

scissors

pencil or pen

ruler

How to make it:

1. Try on the shirt and mark how short you want it (I would suggest till the belly button so you don't show off too much skin). Also mark the sleeves if you want to shorten them.
2. Lay the shirt on a flat surface and with the ruler draw a straight horizontal line where you have marked previously.
3. Cut, cut, cut! Cut off the bottom part of the shirt and the sleeves. You can also cut around the collar area.
4. Try on the shirt again and repeat the process if the shirt is still too long for you.
5. Gently pull on fabric to remove jagged edges.

Voila! That is it, really simple yet fun to make. Tag me on Instagram (@crayonsandbeads) so I can see how you did it.

Did you like this idea/post?

Now it is your turn!

Vanja