Tag Archives: jaymmy

DIY – star crown palm sunday candle

Posted on April 5, 2017 | Leave a comment

Unique and personalized things are not just meaningful but treasured for it has some of your heart.

Personalized candles have a way of standing out from the crowd, let your little ones feel exceptional and special as they were born!

I am sharing with you my little boy candle (19 months), it won’t take too much of your time and doesn’t require craft skills. Colors are always subjective and depending on the outfit they are wearing. Follow this step by step tutorial to see how beautiful things are found in the simple!

The choice and quality of ribbons, colors matched together and the way of combination make all the difference. Keep it simple and elegant is the golden rule! Happy palm sunday!

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Chicks garland – Spring/Easter tiny hands crafts

Posted on April 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

Simple ideas come out the best when done with big love and tiny hands. As i always say, the most meaningful things are the ones that have your personal touch.

You are the ultimate plaything, and any activity will seem more fun if your child can share it with you. Sit down with your kids for joint creativity and fun to celebrate spring|Easter season.

Chicks garland, made with just flour, salt and water.

Mix:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water

Knead until smooth. If your dough is still crumbly you can add more water, or if it’s sticky you can add flour, you can always correct flour and water to get the consistency you want. Add yellow coloring gel to the dough and let your kids cut out circles.

You can bake it for 15-20 mns on 200ºC or leave it to air dry for 2 days, if you are using decorations that can’t be baked. If you are leaving it to air dry i suggest to flip it after one day. And let the fun begin; I am sure the kids will enjoy sticking the wiggling eyes, feathers and beak made with orange triangle cut out of felt.

And here it is!

The boys had so much fun crafting and playing together. Brothers are a treasure ❤

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Easter tree decoration – homemade clay recipe for kids

Posted on March 28, 2017 | Leave a comment

Hop in Easter mood with us and let’s start the decoration with this beautiful tree. Let your kids DIY the ornaments with a homemade clay recipe, ready in less than 10 minutes and with only 3 ingredients:

1 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to medium heat. Whisk continually until it starts to thicken. It will take couple of minutes to look like mashed potato in consistency, remove it immediately from the heat. Place it in a bowl and cover it with damp cloth until it’s cool.

Knead it on a smooth surface, adding cornstarch if it feels a bit sticky, hand it to your kids and let the fun begin!

Cut out eggs and bunnies, using the cookie cutters and let them dry overnight. I am sure not all kids will have this patience, you can dry it in the oven for couple of hours on very low, so your kids can color them in the same day.

Don’t forget to make small holes (with a straw) before they dry, to be able later to insert a thread and hang it on the tree.

This year the fun is double, i am crafting with my two boys! Let me be honest and say it’s beautifully insane 🙂 i need to tame my 19 months old boy excitement who is still discovering, exploring and creating that artistic mess, so overwhelmed with colors and beauty, he doesn’t believe rules exist and everything for him is edible! While my 4 years old boy, my charming little artist, who’s been doing this for a quite time, doesn’t fail to show me his passion and innate artistic skills. They both have it actually and i am so happy about it!

Back to our decoration, and while the paint is drying, get some dry branches and fix them in a pot (fill it with sand or pebbles not to fall) to have a tree like shape. And let the kid enjoy hanging up their handmade deco when they are completely dry.

By the way, we prepared a lot more ornaments, but before having our final tree up, my little monkey dropped it 3 times and broke some! Well let me tell you this is part of the game, part of the fun and part of the learning. The most important is to be patient, and try to enjoy with them!

easter tree decoration | marmite et ponpon

Those cracks make it more beautiful and real, and they will tell you later million story and laugh. Crafting with kids is not about the final outcome, the least you care about is working for the end result, let them enjoy the creative process, be patient again and enjoy as much as you can those priceless moments.

If those bunnies and chick are striking your attention, they were made last year by my eldest son. You can check the link to that post.

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Classic bulgur pilaf and vermicelli

Posted on March 3, 2017 | 5 comments

Bulgur or burghol in Arabic برغل is the crushed whole raw wheat berries. It provides iron, protein and fiber while it still contains the outer bran and germ of the wheat. With such powerful whole grain, you guarantee a wholesome vegetarian dish,full of nutrients and flavor, plus offering a longer period of satiation, especially during lent, for people abstaining from meat.

Bulgur pilaf with vermicelli is one of my favorite simple dishes, that comes to rescue you on a lazy day. Doesn’t need preparation at all, using one pot and can be served in less than half an hour with a heap of yogurt to seal the deal.

There is two types of bulgur, one finely crushed we use in kebbeh or tabbouleh and this one, the whole grain cracked in half which is love the texture, firm but soft and fluffy after being cooked, mostly in pilafs.

To serve two people you will need:

1 cup bulgur
2/3 cup vermicelli
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups water
salt to taste
yogurt to serve with (as er your taste)

Start with cooking the vermicelli with butter and oil until golden brown. Add the bulgur and combine well and cook for another minute before adding the water. When it starts to boil reduce heat to simmer until all water disappears, it will take 20-25 minutes.

Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a towel for 10 minutes. Open the lid and fluff it with a fork to serve it warm with yogurt or simply as is.

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Fatteh hummos – chickpeas, yogurt and pita

Posted on March 1, 2017 | 3 comments

Fatteh, a wholesome levantine dish, varies from one country to other; could be vegetarian or featuring meat, but the main ingredients are chickpeas, yogurt and crushed toasted pita.

The arabic word “Fatteh”means “crushed”, so fatteh or fattet hummos has its name after the crushed toasted pita and so other middle eastern dishes with crushed toasted pita like “Fattoush”.

For this simple dish yet flavorful you will need: (yield two portions)

3 pitas toasted and crushed in medium pieces
500g yogurt (or two cups)
2 tbsp tahina
1tsp salt
2 cups chickpeas boiled
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves crushed

For garnish:

50g butter
1/3 cup pine nuts
chopped parsley or mint for decoration

You first start with a layer of toasted pitas, some people likes it fried, but i prefer to keep it light and healthy.

After boiling the chickpeas, or if you are using canned ones, add the garlic (cloves or powder) while it’s still hot and pour it over the bread, of course after removing its water.

To prepare the yogurt sauce, mix it with tahina and salt then top the chickpeas with it. Fry the pine nuts with butter and drizzle over the yogurt and garnish with finely chopped parsley or mint.

It can be served as healthy breakfast, appetizer or main dish. You can always save leftovers in the fridge as you can eat it cold, at room temperature or hot. There are many variations to it, but this way is my favorite. Some people add lemon juice to the yogurt, fry the pitas or add cumin powder to the chickpeas, fried ground beef or chicken… no harm in trying!

This vegetarian version is very easy and quick especially if you are using canned chickpeas, it will be served on your table in less than 20 minutes. It’s an ideal dish to keep you full for a long time during lent, for people abstaining from meat.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.