HOW TO | Homemade Feel Good Tea!

At this time of the year where transition between the warm and cold weather is quite significant, especially in the Netherlands, it's quite easy to fall ill. Like having a cold, the flu or maybe you just feel less energized because of the cold and gloomy weather. Luckily for me, I've passed the cold a few weeks earlier and that's mainly because of this homemade tea!

I've learned to make this tea from my brother. I really don't know where he got it from or maybe he came up with the idea himself, but I thought I'd share this "Feelgood" tea with you guys! Because sharing is caring and it really helps me get through the colder days. 

The spices that are used for this tea are mint leaves, ginger, cinnamon, lime and honey.
I really like the combination of these spices and they're all beneficial for your health or if you feel ill! Mint leaves is good for your digestion and contains antioxidants as well.

Ginger helps clearing your sinuses if you have a cold and can give help you from nausea.

Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants as well and may cut the risk of heart diseases amongst other health benefits.

What do you think of this recipe?
What is your remedy to endure the cold weather?

x J.

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HOW TO | Layering for the winter

December first.. It means that it's officially winter now (for most of us) and what better way to spend your dark and cold days by wearing knits? 

Where I live it's quite hard to predict the weather (although lately it has been really cold). Sometimes it's enough if you just wear a knit and a thin jacket outside and other days it's like you need to wear two jackets. So today we're going to talk about layering, not just layering but layering for the winter.

But how can you add layers to your knit sweaters without looking like a Michelin man?

We start of with a base outfit, that is basically what you would wear if you don't want to catch pneumonia or catch a cold, in the winter (although it really depends on your high tolerance for cold weather). Then the number of layers is decided. Is it a mild winter day? Then a two layered outfit is enough to withstand the cold and run some errands. More layers means the colder the weather.

Click below for more details for each outfit.

HOW TO | DIY your old coat into a cape

So here's as promised the DIY for the cape.  All you really need is a sewing machine and a little bit of  patience. This DIY will probably cost you 2-4 hours if you're already familiar with sewing. But on top of it all, it's a really fun DIY to do if you have an old coat laying around and want to revamp your wardrobe without really spending money.

 I hope the tutorial can be followed and the pictures are clear enough.. Go on and do the tutorial. And if there are any questions feel free to ask them in the comments below!

What do you think of the DIY?

x J.

HOW TO | Designing a logo

As I was sketching ideas for an icon I thought it would be useful to show you guys on how I do it. It is something that I've thought to do myself and came useful for uni as it's something I often have to do for uni as well.

Logo's or icons are seen everywhere and when it comes to having a brand (name it blog, webshop or youtuber) on the internet it is often very useful to have. You can either outsource it or make it yourself, which is way more fun right? But what should you do when you have no idea on how to start? That's where this post come in handy..

Sketch your design

It seems like the most obvious step but a great logo starts from a great design idea. The best way to start designing is to have an idea on what it should portray. Have a brainstorm session on everything your brand is about. For example if your blog is focused on jewellery, write everything down what you think relates to jewellery (e.g. chains, pendants, silver, bling). And start from there by sketching chains, pendants to get your brain working. Another thing to think about is what are your USPs (unique selling points) what deviates you from all the other jewellery shops? Is it 3D printed? Think about combining a few ideas and just let your mind flow. If your stuck or in need for inspiration, it is okay to check pinterest or tumblr. Analyse things you like and incorporate them in your design.

Digitalise your sketch

This is most probably the tricky part where most people get frustrated or clueless. How do you go from your sketch paper to a digitalise version of it? Useful software to have is Adobe Illustrator CS6 ( I have this version but older versions are alright as well). I use Illustrator instead of Photoshop is because you want the image you're creating to be a vector. A vector allows an image to resize without losing the quality (pixels). This is handy because you want to have the freedom to use your logo everywhere without worrying about the quality. If you have a ambitious sketch on paper, which you think is difficult to do it by the eye, a scanner can be useful. You can then open the scan on Illustrator and use 'image trace' to gain outlines of your sketch. With the use of a drawing tablet, which probably saves you a lot of time instead of a regular mouse, you can manipulate the lines to your liking. It may take some practice but eventually you'll get the hang of it.

I've searched some useful tutorials to do this.

The complete beginners guide to Adobe Illustrator

Basic Illustrator tutorial

Here is the result. It took me longer than anticipated, mainly because I wasn't really satisfied with my original idea and had to change some things a long the way. A phrase that is used often in my school career is to 'kill your darlings' (not literally obviously) but you have to be able to let go of your favourite ideas if it doesn't work out the way you expected and take a step back and redesign it.

Tell me what you think about this sort of post. Is it useful?
Leave your comments below!

x J.

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