This years Christmas inspiration

minimal and simplistic

Image from By Fryd

This year I feel like simplifying everything....including Christmas!
Less is more, and I am feeling inspired by these wonderfully simple , yet Christmassy decor touches found on Pinterest...

Image from no home without you

Image from Fairynuf

Image from Annixen

Image via Segreto secrets

Image source : Expensive life

Image Daniella witte

Image via Hus og Hem

Image via Love Nordic

Image via Basic label Sweden

Short and sweet today...in tone with my simplistic Christmas inspiration I am going to let these images speak for themselves....

#PlantShelfie with a DIY plant pot...

Urban jungle bloggers

November Challenge

The November Urban Jungle Bloggers challenge is #PlantShelfie

So today I am sharing some pictures of my kitchen shelves....

....but in true Nostalgiecat style, I have a DIY plant pot tutorial thrown in....

I made this plant pot this summer, and I love how it looks with some autumnal heather in on my kitchen shelf...

Of course this is not the only DIY you can spot on my kitchen shelves...I shared these cute DIY hand drawn faces egg cups back at Easter (There is no tutorial, but you can find lots of great advice on drawing with marker pens on ceramics here)...and I love how some simple cactus' add to their personality...

And all though my "string of pearls" are looking a bit neglected, they are still one of my favorite greens...

Here's a little tutorial on how I made my Triangle plant pot:

I used:

Plain white polymer clay

Black polymer clay

You will also need:

Rolling pin

2 Large Cooking rings

tool for cutting (a sharp knife will do)

Baking paper

Roll out the white polymer clay...just long and wide enough to fit around the cooking rings, approximately 5 mm thick + an extra bit to form the bottom of the plant pot

Use the Cooking rings to measure out the rolled out clay. Cut out a rectangle shape and a circle shape for your plant pot....

Next up, I rolled out the black oven bake clay, approximately 2mm thick this time.

Then I cut out some triangle shapes to place along the length of my white clay rectangle.

I used the rolling pin to press the triangles into the white clay....

 I placed one of the cooking rings on top of the bottom piece of clay, before wrapping the rectangular piece around the two cooking rings stacked on top of each other to form the pot.

NOTE!

I didn't get my cooking rings back out from the clay after cooking, but if YOU wrap some baking paper around yours, you should be able to....Learn from my mistake here peeps!!;)

Where the clay meets, use a knife to merge the clay together, and again to push the clay around the bottom of the pot together....then trim off any excess clay to neaten up around the base and along the top....

Cook in the oven for approximately 15 minutes at 150 degrees (or according to the instructions on you polymer clay)

If you are worried about using your kitchen oven for polymer clay, the clay manufacturers assures me that it's OK, as long as you cook out any left over fumes at high temperatures, then air out your oven for an hour or so...

So, there you have it. a DIY plant pot....

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love making my own decorative home wares....

Yes: I love being creative and making things....that's  kind of my thing....but more than that I love how  DIY-ing things means that you can make it how YOU want....and this technique is definitely custom-able to whatever shapes and patterns YOU would like to create....that way you end up with something unique and personal to you and your home decor...

And as for the plants....The perfect way to liven up a kitchen shelf....

Don't you think??