Charlotte's Caramel Popcorn

Intolerance. IBS. Food Sensitivities..etc. If those seemingly negative words are in your vocab then you can relate. If not, count yourself lucky and watch what you eat, as you never know, one of these days one of those words might creep into your life.

A little history:
There are four of us in our family with food sensitivities, or as we prefer in a more positive way: delicate digestives. Our bodies simply cannot break down any wheat or dairy products. For me (Renee), it wasn't until I was 20 that I really couldn't eat the way I loved. Thank goodness I was at home at the time, as our mom became Doctor Mama. Charlotte was 10, and our little brother John was 3, when Doctor Mama decided to cut everything and find out what was making us all sick. We did pay a visit to our medical doctor and he said the same thing. Elimination. After eating rice for a few months, and Doctor Mama's healing-the- gut shakes, we discovered that we are not Celiac (Hallelujah!), just very intolerant. In the last year Leah too has noticed that she can't have any dairy products, as her poor tummy gets very upset, so she has now joined the Delicate Digestives Club.

Charlotte's Caramel Popcorn

Changing our diet was drastic, but it does make life interesting and causes us to constantly search for new recipes. Last week Charlotte dreamed of Caramel Popcorn and so came up with the following recipe. It is so good that you should try it, even if you can still eat the real stuff. : )


Charlotte's Caramel Popcorn

1/4 c. Brown sugar

3 tbs. Vegan Margarine (Becel sells a really great vegan margarine) Becel Vegan Margarine

4 tbs. Corn Syrup

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Pinch of baking soda

Popcorn of your choice: We love this one: PC's Organic Popcorn It is dairy free!

1. Add Brown sugar, Vegan Margarine, Corn syrup and Salt into a measuring cup. Heat for 1 min. (or until all ingredients are melted) in the microwave.

2. Add the Vanilla and Baking Soda. Stir until well combined.

3. Pop those kernels! Put the popcorn in a mixing bowl, pour the caramel sauce over top and mix.

Enjoy!

Our mother always said...

Lengthen those skirts!

In our family our petite mama gave birth to tall girls.We are all between 5’6 and 5’8 without heels. With our high heels on we tower and hit the Amazon Woman Height. As much as we appreciate being tall, and love wearing heels, we always encounter this problem: our skirts are too short!!

We find it a bit tricky to purchase cute skirts and dresses that don't ride up and show too much leg. So many designers create a hem line for the more petite girl, and so make the taller girl look hoochey. This past summer our brother was married and all of us girls were involved in the wedding. The challenge was on! We had to find cute dresses for May that hit the right spot, and didn't make us look like old school marms. After much shopping, hemming and hawing, we decided on another tactic: Make the dress work somehow. Anyhow.There must be a way to prevent our mother's evil eye! Praise the Lord we found it. 



without the modern girl's petticoat



With a bit of lace, and an extra layer underneath, a simple lace skirt or lace slip adds the extra inches and passes the hem line approval for mamas and grandmamas. We call it: The modern girl's petticoat 

With a bit of lace

What to look for: Depending on your dress try to find a slip or skirt that will match, doesn't have to be the same colour. Leah wore a buttery yellow dress and found a cream coloured lace skirt from Forever 21. Renee wore a brown dress and found an inexpensive, black wide lace skirt from Jacob.

Before

After!

Your dress can't be too tight, as then you will look a bit bulgy around the waist, and who wants that? We found that the higher empress waist or A line dresses worked the best.

lacy skirt from Forever 21

If you do have a tighter dress, you can look for a plain slip and sew wide lace around the edge. 

How's that mom?

          Ta-da!           

Winter Reading

Winter Reading

A huge storm has just settled in, 10-15 cm of snow and another 15-20mm of freezing rain. Time to pull out those snuggies, hot tea and books, lots of books! 

In our home, reading was not just simply encouraged, it was a part of our everyday life. We read as part of school, we read as a family, we read on our own. It was not always easy, some of us read later, a few of us needed the right kind of novel, but there were times when the clan of us would troop out of the library with two hundred different books in tow. On a regular basis. And we would read them. 
So here we want to share with you the novels by our beds, on our tables and in our hands. 

Books, Books and more Books!

Renee: 

Loving now: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society an epistolary novel that is very clever and oh so captivating. 

Also slowly reading: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease a very interesting study by one of the doctors featured in the documentary Forks over Knives, makes me again want to throw out all meat. 

Just finished: The Secret Keeper: Kate Morton's new one. Amazingly wonderful read, one of those books you read until the early hours of the morning. 

Next on the List: The Soldier's Wife

Charlotte: 
Loving now: We Make Dolls is a compilation of different patterns, very useful and full of ideas.

Also loving:  Wee Wonderfuls full of different soft doll patterns.
And just one more: Intertwined is a beautiful book on how to make gorgeous art yarn.
Next on the List: How to Make Stuffed Animals                    
                

Leah:   
Loving now: Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times a detailed memoir of a midwife in post war England. Informative and very eye opening on the beauty of birth. The hit BBC show is based on this book.

Just finished: The Woman in White: The author Wilkie Collins brings to life one of the first mystery novels set in the Victorian period. Full of drama, suspense and a creepy Count! 

Next on the List:The Light Between Oceans

Books that you can find others reading in our home:

Winter of the World 

The Tale of Troy

The Hobbit

Coaching the Artist Within

The Art of the Catapult
One River
The Secret Race
Keeping a Nature Journal
Into the Silence

What books are you enjoying these blustery days?

Bobby Pins and Bronzer

Happy Monday!  

Often while out sporting one of Leah's updos, we get asked who and where did we get our hair done. This weekend Charlotte had a side bun, and was asked how the bobby pins were so well hidden. We begged Leah to explain and actually realized it is way easier than we thought! So here you go:





How it should not look 



How it should look 








































How to hide those tricky bobby pins:

We love the invention of the bobby pins and use them almost everyday. Leah has a preference and loves the ones from Dollarama. They are cheap, durable and stay in your hair. The more expensive ones (in our experience) tend to slip and break.  

A great updo is one where those handy bobby pins are tucked in, out of the way and hidden from sight. 

What not to do: Many times girls (Charlotte and I included!) just pin and stick where we think the hair should go. While this look works, the sloppy bobby pins take away from the updo and look messy. 

What to do: 

Step 1: Pick the right bobby pin for your hair colour. Open the bobby pin and hold it upwards. 

Step 2: With your left hand, hold the desired hair in place. Take the bobby pin, and vertically tuck it in the hair.  

Vertically is key, as when the bobby pin is on an angle, it hides easily under the hair. 

Again how it should not look!
















Whoo that bobby pin is out of sight!

Voila! Have fun!

Bronzer How to:

Winter for us means dry, flaky, pale skin. So after moisturising like crazy we love to use a little bronzer to add that healthy glow.









Our favourite makeup is Physicians Formula. It is organic and is gentle on sensitive skin. We find it doesn't clog pores and the makeup lasts all day. It is a bit pricey, but Shopper's Drugmart sometimes has it on sale.

What I didn't apply my bronzer right??

What not to do: Don’t apply it on your whole face (as shown above!) as it should only be a highlighter. Too much bronzer and you tend to look like a burnt orange.

What we like to do:

Step 1: After applying your cover up and foundation, take your bronzer brush and load it up. If you have bangs pin them back.

Step 2: Starting at your forehead, apply the bronzer along the hairline, and down the side of your face, in a C formation.

Before without bronzer and blush

Step 3: If you would like to enhance your cheekbones, dust a bit of bronzer at the end of your eyebrow down in a mini C. 

Step 4: Add blush and finish the rest of your make up! 

After! Check out those sun kissed cheeks!

Voila! Do you have a hair or make up question? If so let us know! We would love to help. 

Friday Photo

“{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. 
A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." 
Amanda Blake Soule

Happy Friday! 

Kitty Kat Tutorial by Truly Charlotte

Today Charlotte is going to share one of her simple stuffie patterns.

This is for personal use only, please do not sell! Thanks!

Kitty Kat Pattern

Step 1: Print and cut out pattern pieces attached in PDF file (please add a quarter of an inch seam allowance to each pattern piece) -Kitty Kat Pattern

Step 2: Place and pin each pattern piece to your fabric of choice. I used a recycled wool sweater.

Step 3: Cut them out.

Step 4: Place large eye pieces on body and sew in place using your favourite stitch. I used the running stitch for all stitching.

Step 5: Place smaller eye pieces over large eye piece and sew. Next sew on your favourite buttons as pupils.

Step 6: For the nose, cute out small triangle from desired fabric and stitch in place. You can also sew his nose using embroidery stitches.  

Step 7: Embellish your kitty to your liking, using ribbons, wool, buttons, beads etc.

Step 8: For those of you using a sewing machine, pin ears face down on right side of body.               
(I will explain the process of hand sewing below step 10)



Step 9: Sandwich front and back pieces, right sides of fabric together, pin and sew leaving a small opening at bottom.

Step 10: Trim and excess fabric off edges then turn Kitty to the right side.

For hand sewing: With wrong side of fabric facing each other, use blanket stitch starting at the bottom working your way up to add the ear. Continue blanket stitch and add second ear. Work your way to bottom of Kitty, leaving an opening to stuff.

Step 11: Stuff your Kitty with your favourite stuffing. I use sheep fleece.






Step 12: If you sewed it together using your sewing machine, hand stitch the opening using a blind
stitch to close off your kitty. If you hand stitched, close the opening using the blanket stitch.

Step 13: Optional: Add your favourite hair! I needle felted some merino wool and mohair locks.







Be creative! Have fun!

Share your pics if you make a Kitty! We would love to see them!

10 Crazy Daisy Faves!

10 Crazy Daisy Favourites 

First we love the above photo of our oh so smiley puppy Mr Clarence! 

We love this girl and this amazing easy pasta sauce: creamy tomato basil pasta

Yes so true! Roald Dahl quote

Because the stash is in! Moustache Map of the World!

Renee is making her second shalom sweater in the crushed berry: Eco Cascades

Fight the flu! fight the flu tea!

Far Far Away Dream House: dreamy castle

Loving this: of Monsters and Men

Kindness story that we LOVE: Spanish Runner who Helps Rival Win

Super Blog and Great DIY hair: Bow Bun



Here is the Bow Bun in Charlotte's hair that we tried and loved!





Milkmaid Braid Tutorial

Happy Monday!

To start off the week Leah is going to explain how to do the Milkmaid Braid Hair Style. It is easy, looks fancy and is perfect for a dinner party, wedding or whenever you feel the need to bust out the braids!

Milkmaid Braid How To:

If you are doing this hairstyle on yourself, you might feel a slight tingly in your arms. Take breaks :)

    

           
Step One: Part the hair down the middle. You are going to be doing an inside out braid, Or they are also called a Dutch braid.  (if you need to learn how click this link: inside out braid ) Start the braid an inch above the nape of the neck. You don't want to start right at the bottom as it will be tricky to pick up the hair.

Step Two: Starting with one side of the hair, braid the hair upwards, and as you braid guide the hair in a crown formation. If the ends or layers are falling out, that's ok as messy is in! Secure a small elastic at the end of the braid.

Step Three: Do the same with the other side of the hair.

Step Four: Cross the braids over the top.

Step Five: If the hair is thick and poufs up, push it back with the braid. Using bobby pins, fix the braids in place. To secure the ends, tuck them under the beginning of the braid if hair is long, or if the hair is shorter, anywhere under the braid. Pull out a few strands if you want to make it a bit messy.

          

 There you go! If you want to jazz it up, add a headband or a sparkly clip.

What kind of hairstyles would you like to learn? Let us know! We would love to hear from you. 



"Serious art is born from serious play." Julia Cameron





The Crazy Daisies are three eccentric sisters:

 

The Baby Girl: Charlotte is our resident artist and master of all things hands on! She is a fiber artist under the name Truly Charlotte, and you can find her recycled, hand sewn, wool stuffies and hand painted t-shirts at art fairs in Ottawa. Charlotte will be sharing ideas and creative hands on projects.

The Middle Sister (aka the filling in the Oreo): Leah is a violinist, passionate knitter, and pro at converting every recipe using the goodness of Spelt Flour. She is currently in the process of becoming a hair stylist and will share lots of handy do it yourself tips, recipes and much more.

The Firstborn: That's me, Renee. I am a teacher, also a knitter, vegan chef, super shopper, running coach and art appreciator. Basically I love alot of things, and love blogs that give us all  inspiration.

Leah, Renee and Charlotte

 

Our blog is a creative place, one where in the middle of a busy day at your desk, or in the midst of the daily tasks of home, you can click open, sigh and let your inner creative self relax. It is a hectic world out there, and sometimes we all just need to play. And as Julia says:

"Serious art is born from serious play."

Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.

 

Here is our most loved Vegan Chocolate Sauce.

Excellent on pretty much everything! We like it on cake, coconut ice cream, waffles, pancakes, and by itself on a spoon.

Adapted from Eating Well

 

2/3 cup of dark cocoa

1 cup of brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of soya milk

1 tsp of vanilla

2 ounces of dark chocolate chips

 

With a wire whisk mix the brown sugar and the cocoa in a saucepan. Add the milk, put it on medium high heat ( we like 7), whisk it continually until the sides are simmering, approximately three to five min. Reduce the sauce to low, whisk again for three minutes. Take it off the heat, add the chocolate chips and vanilla while still stirring. Keep whisking until the chocolate chips are melted. Lasts three to four days in the fridge, if you can resist that long. Voila!

Do you have a favourite chocolate sauce recipe? Share with us! We would love to hear from you.