Vinegar - the King of the green cleaning

 It's the Day of the Earth today which reminds me on the cleaning and all those chemical we are using instead of the natural, inexpensive (and biodegradable) distilled vinegar and soda (sodium bicarbonate). It is amazing how those product could help us  - and I don't have issues with eyes, nose and breathing any more when cleaning the bathroom.
So, for our beautiful planet, think about suggestions below.

Windows

Make a mix of half water, half vinegar and few drops of biodegradable dishwasher detergent, put it in sprayer (optional). Spray the window, wash it with cotton rug and dry with old newspapers. Believe me, and I tried everything, this works.

Tap scale

Put a small amount of vinegar in a plastic bag and   fasten it with rubber band on the tap - the base of the tap should be completely covered with vinegar. Leave few hours (or less if there are not so much tap) -  vinegar will dissolve the scale that will fall to the bottom of the bag.

Drain cleaning

 Once a month put the soda in the drain, pour vinegar and leave few hours then rinse thoroughly with water. Repeat if necessary.

Oven cleaning

This is my favorite tip. For years I used intensive chemicals and struggled to wash them well and get rid off nasty smell always feraing that the food will be poisoned. Nowdays, I am using soda nad vinegar. Mix soda with water to make a pasta and coat the oven with it. Leave this for a few hours, then spray it with vinegar and leave it for a while. Afterwards clean and wash with warm watter and kitchen sponge.

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Furoshiki - multipurpose cloth

Saturday mornings I am  usually spending in the city center visiting  shops  and going to the green market. This is time just for myself.

Bookstores are at my focus, I love reviewing new books, particularly crafts and art related. So, one Saturday I came across the book about furoshiki. First second: What's this? Next (and all others) second: I looooove it! And I still do. It is so simple yet so multipurpose, not to mention that I love scarfs.

What is Furoshiki?

Furoshiki (originated from japan) is wrapping cloth used for carry things or wrap gifts. It is easy to wrap anything of all shapes and sizes, make purse or use it as a  scarf. And if you don't need it at the moment, just fold it and put it  in pocket. As we are approaching the Earth day (April, 22nd) it is good to notice that furoshiki is enviromental and excellent way to avoid plastic bags.

So see some photos and visit original site where you can find a lot of tutorials how to wrap the cloth.

Photo comes from this site

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My trip to the Adriatic sea

Back to Zagreb and looking out the window to blizzard, can't believe that only two days ago I was enjoing beatiful sunshine weather at the Adriatic coast. We spent few days in our summer house in Murter. It is a village on the island and an entrance to Kornati archipelago. I took some photos during walks with my dog -  think you can feel tranquility of the place in this time of the year (in contrast with the summer crowd).

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How to clean and care wooden furniture

Is it just me, I am not sure, but I always feel extra energy in spring and urge to clean, tidy dressers, makeover rooms. With the sunny days, stains and dust is much more visible. Stains on furniture could be very frustrating, particularly if this is our favourite piece. But before I decide to buy something advertised on TV (usually rather expensive and inefficient), I try domestic and more 'green' stuff.

Try some of the recepies below, they really work.

'Green' tips and tricks how to remove stains from wooden furniture

 Remove ugly rings left  after wet glasses or vases

Mix equal amounts of (distilled) vinegar and olive oil, rub it with a soft cloth on the stain. Use another clean, soft cloth to remove excess oil and vinegar and polish with the surface. For leather furniture, use only  vinegar-soaked cloth.

Remove stains left after hot dishes 

Mix equal amounts of tooth paste and baking powder, rub it on the stain, leave few minutes and clean with wet cloth.

Thoroughly cleaning dust

Apple vinegar or beer are excellent for thoroughly cleaning stubborn dirt on furniture. Apply vinegar or beer on woolen cloth and rub the surface.

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Traditional wooden toys of Croatia

In today's consumeration world we are used on mass-production, same product found in New York, Zagreb or Tokio. It is my pleasure to show you these beautiful, handmade toys from Croatia, Hrvatsko zagorje (North-West part of our country). You can feel love and passion built in each of them. 
Wooden children’s toys are recognizable traditional products of Hrvatsko zagorje with a long history. Precisely in this area, a peculiar production of toys was developed in the 19th century and it has been preserved in some villages. From very simple reed toys, the assortment widened so that, at times, one hundred and twenty different toys were produced. The method of their production was passed on from generation to generation in some families and has been kept to this day. The peculiarity is that they are handmade by men and mostly painted by women. 

There can never be two completely identical toys since each one is handmade. The material used is soft wood from the area, willow, lime, beech and maple that craftsmen hew after drying and then cut and shape it with the help of wooden or cardboard models. In painting they use eco paint and their base colours are usually red, yellow or blue. They paint the toys with floral and geometrical ornaments. Today, about fifty types of toys are made, ranging from various reeds, tamburitzas, animal toys and objects of common use. In the year 2009 UNESCO  declared them as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Till the end of May, 2013 you can visit the interesting exhibition hold in Ethnographic museum in Zagreb: World of toys. 

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Fonts, letters, text

Fonts and letters are endless inspiration for me in my craft work. There are number of sites you can download various font types for free. Look at this links, eg:
1001freefonts.com
dafont.com
fontzone.net

But there is a script I like very much, although it is not in use any more: Glagolitic alphabet. Look on the pictures how the letters are beautiful and interesting.
It is part of Croatian history and was used for centuries. 

If you are interested in this font, you can download it from this site. 
(Site is on Croatian, download is on the bottom of the page, right side  - 'cijeli paket').

Nowadays, original jewelry and  souvenirs could be found inspired by this alphabet.

If you'd like to read a little bit more about Glagolitic alphabet: 

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How to enlarge fonts in Microsoft Word

 Text, letters, signs - we use them  in many forms and sizes. There are numerous font types on internet. But how to make large stencils or print very large fonts?
It is rather easy to accomplish. Here are some tips and tricks for Microsoft Word.

Enlarge text using font size

This  is very simple. Type a text, pick the font type you want. And then, under Home tab, just enter the font size (any size you'd like or need).

Enlarge text using Wordart

 Insert Wordart, type text. Pick the font type you would like. By dragging corner dot, you can enlarge text to the size you need. Draging other 'dots' you can narrow or extend your text - that is the additional  feature you get with Wordart.

Tip: In Microsoft Word 2010, this doesn't work without some additional tricks (usually for Microsoft, don't you agree?). You need to save the document as Word 97-2003 document first, reopen it and then you'll get the possibility explained above.

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Amazing laces

Pag lace

Fall has begun, fashion theme articles, magazines, portals are inviting us to malls and clothes shops. Lace is 'must have' in wardrobe. That reminds me on the art of hand-making lace in Croatia, where I live. We are small country, but there are even three main centres of lacemaking in Croatia, whose work is a continuation of the long-lasting lacemaking tradition. These are: Lepoglava in Hrvatsko zagorje (west-northern part of the country) with bobbin lace, island Pag on the Adriatic see with needle point lace and island Hvar with aloe lace. They are all inlisted on UNESCO representative list of intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is impossible to say which one is more beautiful, for me they are all breathtaking and astonishing. 
When I see such handmade art, I feel embarrassed looking at my own craft work. But it is not appropriate at all to compare masterpiece with some hobby craft. Just enjoy the art and lace masterpieces.

Lepoglava lace 

Hvar lace from agava

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Butterflies and creativity

       Few days ago I was watching excellent documentary film about butterflies. I 've always admired their beauty, colors and magic, unfortunately noticing there are less and less of them to be seen. I can't remember when was the last time I saw the Swallowtail (on the photo) - it was my favorit one in the childhood. Beside the magic of their wings, their transformation from caterpillar is probably one of the most fascinating experiences in the nature.

What is the connection between butterfllies and this blog? It is dedicated to the butterflies inside us. With a little creativity, research, trying new things we can transform ourselves and our home, bring a special sent to clothes, furniture, home. Take new path and new challenges (and allow yourself a failure, from time to time), take a transformation.

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