imakeicrafticreate

Details of a serial maker, crafter and creator

[makewithshin]

Nut juice (alternative to nut milk) and Super Elle Breakfast Smoothie

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Seriously 5 years! What did happen to that Vespa?

An update 5 years in the making... What did happen to that Vespa?

Yes, it has been 5 years. A few things have happened since then. I had 2 kids, moved to the country (as in there isn’t an Aldi within 5kms of where I live, actually my nearest big name supermarket is 40kms away), change careers and building a house! So I know you are on the edge of your seat – what happened to the Vespa? Like all good enthusiast, I did start it and was very very slow to finish.…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

I am addicted to Buzzfeed YouTube Videos. I love the idea of trying something new. So when I stumbled across ‘Women Learn to Skateboard.’ I eagerly  clicked play. I watched it at around 11:30pm and remembered being so excited that I had to tell my husband straight away. “How would you feel about skateboarding?” I asked “I always wanted to learn. Every time I bought skateboards for the bearings I…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

For a few fleeting moments in my 20’s I wanted to rebuild and restore an old Vespa. The dreams included my dad helping me out on it. Helping as in, doing all the engine stuff and I was to connect everything together. Then the dream would fly off on another tangent that I could become a scooter restorer/ repairer. Due to life happening these things were just mere thoughts.   A few months ago my…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Shorts to make me look like a pro

Shorts to make me look like a pro

At the start of the year, I started to look my age. My amazing Asian genes were slowing withering away. I have always been slender so I didn’t feel the need to exercise to keep in shape. There was a day where I had to jog around the office to deliver an important document. I felt things jiggle that I have never felt before. It almost felt like it wasn’t part of my body but it definitely was part…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

No I don't want to look like hippy

No I don’t want to look like hippy

I have come to a point in my life that I have literally run of clothes to wear. I have purchased a couple of dresses since I declared I was going sweatshop free (In case you were wondering one dress was vintage and the other was Australian-made). What I currently have are poorly made (unfortunately before my pre sweatshop free declaration) of low quality and lasted about 3 years. I have managed…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

When going commando is not an option

So less then a year ago, I declared to the world (or blog world) that I was not going to purchase new clothes and either opt for vintage/ second hand or handmade.

So it come to the tricky part of my wardrobe, underwear and bras. I have tried to make underwear in the past with very bad results ( stitching ripping and too small sizing). I thought I should call on some expert pattern making. To give…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

What do you mean we don't look like we have done much?

What do you mean we don’t look like we have done much?

We have worked almost all weekends since getting the caravan and it seems we have nothing to show for it except a scar and some building tools.

So far we have demolished the caravan, built the frame and worked on getting the trailer right. Up to this point it has been about the trailer. Cleaning, rust proofing, painting, attaching brand new axle, new electric brakes then finally adding the…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Caravan Restoration Project | The things you least expect to happen

Caravan Restoration Project | The things you least expect to happen

Sorry all for not posting for a month! We have been working on the the caravan but I have been side tracked with a project that I will be able to reveal at the end of the month.

The ‘Before’ shots

The next stage of the restoration project seems easy enough. Take off the rust from the trailer frame, clean it up and rust proof it with paint.

The last post I mentioned taking the rust off the top and…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Caravan Restoration Project | What do you mean the whole thing fell apart?

Caravan Restoration Project | What do you mean the whole thing fell apart?

Thinking requires deep concentration and a lot of silence. So after a couple of days of silence from my husband I wasn’t surprised to hear that there was a change in tactic with the dismantling and reassembling of the caravan frame. Originally we were going to put up the frames in sections so that the roof will always be supported. But now we will be taking the roof panels of the roof frame then…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Caravan Restoration Project | Side frames done

We were helping out a friend with a wedding proposal on Sunday so we only had Saturday to work on the caravan.

I mentioned in previous blogs that we had problems getting corners rounded. The last effort was using the router with some success.

My husband decided this time to use the jigsaw. We did try using this the first time but found the cuts were a bit wonky (I suspect this is due to the user…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Day 60 - Mini Cow Hide Rug

[makewithshin]

Caravan Restoration Project | Get your frame on!

So everything from the inside is ripped out, next is to rebuild the framing and floors.

Ninety percent of the wall framing was rotted through with the floors not in much better condition.  We needed the wall to be as complete as possible to be able to replicate the lines and curves. The frames weren’t going to survive been separated from the ceiling and floor. So we decided to leave the walls on…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Soaps Up

Soap's Up

For about a year now, my wife and I have been experimenting with creating our very own biodegradable soap. It all started with us needing to find a septic tank safe soap, and discovering a simple soap recipe in an old book we had called ‘Readers Digest Back To Basics’.

It looked pretty simple, and we thought, heck why not. Our first obstacle, was finding Lye. We didn’t know where to get it, and…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

KoAloha Me!

Koaloha Me!

Finished product, made it home safe and sound

I have been away the past two days at the KoAloha build your own ukulele workshop in Cairns Queensland.

I have been looking forward to since I booked into the course in early March. It felt like I won the golden ticket! I was one of the lucky 9 that booked early into the course.

So let’s start at the beginning of my ukulele journey. My husband…

View On WordPress

[makewithshin]

Day 49 - Mini Cow Hide Rug

[makewithshin]

Caravan Restoration Project | Let's see what is behind the walls

You never know what you need till you are halfway through something. Each week I will give you a run down of the tools we purchased for the project.

Tools purchased for the week: Safey gear (pack includes glasses, ear muffs and face mask).

Last week was very successful with ripping out the cabinetry. This weekend’s task was to take off the wall panelling. Seems like such a simple task. To be…

View On WordPress