Camera pod

I got a shiny new (second hand) dslr! Whoo! I've wanted one for years! Naturally I wanted to make my own case for it, and this is what I came up with. Instead of making a bag, I've made a pod that will fit into my normal bag. I hate carrying two.

As for how I made it:

1) Gather supplies! Wadding, outer fabric, lining fabric, ruler and pen. As ever, my fabric comes from the beautiful sewing cafe.
2) Put your camera on a piece of paper and decide how big you need to make your pod and thus each side.
3) Stack up the wadding until its thick enough for you (mine was 5 layers) and cut it to the right size. Sew the layers together.

4) Make a net for the cube and cut out the pieces for the outside.

5) Place right sides together and sew! Turn inside out and place the wadding inside. I made another bit of wadding covering half of the bottom to prop the lens of my camera up.6) Measure the inside of the pod and cut the pieces for the lining. Sew these together too, remembering to leave enough on to to go over the wadding and attach to the outer layer.

7) Now insert the zip! Take the outer and inner fabric for the lid, place right sides together and pin the zip around 3 edges for the fabric (teeth facing in). You'll need to snip the zip close to the corners so that it will go round the corners nicely. Sew it all together, flip it inside out and put the wadding in. Sew the lid onto the outer fabric of the base.8) Pin the bottom half of the zip into the base obviously making sure that it lines up with the lid when it's shut! This might take a while....9) Sew together and you're done! 

 

Roast tomato risotto

I looooooove risotto. This one might even be my favourite....hmmm... no it's not but it's a close second! Super easy to make too!

Ingredients:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 cup of risotto rice
- 1 cup of wine
- Vegetable stock
- Handful of basil

1) Halve the tomatoes and put them in a roasting pan with the oil and seasoning. Roast those bad boys for 30 mins or so.
2) Dice the onion, celery and carrot and fry them till soft.
3) Add the rice and fry for a min.
4) Add the wine and stir until it's absorbed.
5) Add a bit of stock and keep stirring until it's absorbed.
6) Repeat step 5 until the rice is cooked.
7) Add the tomatoes and basil.
8) Eeeeeeeaat!!!

Eco toothbrush!

So, as part of my drive to live more ethically, I'm trying to find better alternatives to things that I use every day. When the time came to get a new toothbrush, I did a bit of research and found this! The environmental toothbrush. It's made from bamboo and packaged in cardboard. Better than all that plastic huh? It's definitely not as awesome as my normal toothbrush but it does the job! Also, people who hate the feeling of wooden spoons will hate this! I like it though and it's the best alternative I've found so far.

Carbon omissions

I saw this video the other day and thought that it was a really nice, clear explanation of the main challenge of creating a sustainable society. We Just don't need more stuff.

laptop case

As you can tell, I don't like to buy something if I think I can make it. And a case for my laptop fits very neatly into that category. I followed this awesome tutorial  to make mine. It was pretty easy too. I have a thing for oil cloth as it's more water proof and I feel like my stuff is more protected. I also have a thing for blue and white, so I chose this stripy fabric from my hordes for the lining. Makes me smile every time I take my laptop somewhere now!

Market food

As you know, I try to shop ethically. Markets are a great place to do just that. They often supply local and organic food and you're supporting local business. Win win. Also, it's super fun to wander round and look at all the different things! We have a great cheese stall in town and I always get carried away choosing delicious, delicious cheeses. You also don't have to think too hard about what's in season on a market. It's the thing that they're selling 3 for £1. Easy.

Smokey salad

This is another recipe adapted from Jamie's 15 minute meals. Man I love that book. It was really nice to start eating salad again too! Springtime is here!

Ingredients:

- Salad leaves of your choice
- cucumber
- carrot
- jarred roasted peppers
- Quorn chickeny bits
- smoked tofu
- smoked paprika
- garlic
- 4tbs greek yoghurt
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 bunch of basil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- cress

1) Chop and wash the salad and jarred pappers
2) Fry the quorn, tofu and garlic in some paprika
3) Put the yoghurt, lemon juice, chopped basil, vinegar and salt and pepper in a jar and shake it up to make the dressing
4) Serve and top with cress.