 I bought a long time ago a paper roll holder at IKEA, but it just didn't fit Pepa's desk. So it has been stored waiting for me to use it in a project. After having a big drama at home because we couldn't find a Tonie figure for some weeks, I decided to get a shelf or something to store them while being accessible. I found some cool ones, but sadly they were WAY out of my budget. Then a little light bulb went on over my head, and I decided to make a Tonie shelf with the paper holder in it included.
This corner started as a sink. I removed the sink and painted the wall. So how to go from this picture on the left to the one of the right? First, let me tell you what you need: IKEA MÅLA holder and Paper Measuring tape Wood glue 20 Screws 3,5 or 4 cm long 1m2 thin wood sheet 2 boards 2m x 4.5cm or 4 boards 1m x 4,5cm Pencil Thread Water level stock Jigsaw Sandpaper or sanding machine (paper 80, 120 and 240) Ferro strip Transparent varnish 2 colors of wood paint (water-based and childproof would be best) Drill Screwdriver 2 long screws to install in the wall. at least 10 cm long Patience and a helping hand  MÅLA It looks harder than it actually is... so don't get scared of the pictures. I am sure I could have made it on my own, and I know every one of you is able as well. As I am into sustainability and in a low budget, I used only materials I had at home. The only thing I bought was the Ferro strip for 9 Euro in Amazon (which I purchased with credit I had sitting there for a while). Altogether, this took about 4-5 hours plus installation. But I separated the job in 4 sittings. I used the back of a closet for the main wooden board, some old floorboards for the shelves (they are pretty uneven as we tried to make them as close as possible) the paint was the one I used for a dollhouse and a closet I refurbished, and I always have screws at home ;)  First, assemble the MÅLA. Every moving parts should be fixed, so add some wood glue and let it rest for the night. I added extra screws to attach all parts because I know my kid, so I rather have everything sitting pretty tight and fix. You can use any kind of screws, really. Just be gentle and do it slowly as the wood from MÅLA is very light and easy to crack.  About the design, I went for a cloud as Pepa had this super cute cloud pillow on her bed, and I thought it would be nice to integrate it on this shelf. But you can make any form: a square, rectangle a heart, whatever you want. I measured the Tonie figures and the area between bed and wall and drew this. You can do any size really, just be sure to plot it in advance. (you can see the plan in the video at the end or in my IGTV)  First, draw the MÅLA on the wood. Then using a water level stock, draw the lines where your shelves should go. Please be sure to measure a million times if you don't have a water level stock as this is the heart of your construction. If your design seems too big or too small, here is the time to fix that.  Now is the time to draw the form of the whole shelf. You can freestyle or use plates to make the circles. I applied an old school technic: use a thread and a pencil and put your finger in the center of the ring you want and draw. It took quite some tests until I got exactly the form I liked. Don't be scared of drawing and redrawing, You will be sanding this, and you won't see it. Now cut. You can do it by hand with a saw, but it is always more comfortable with a power tool.
Don't forget to cut the boards/shelves in the length you want. And don't worry if they aren't perfect. Mine was very uneven, and I didn't have enough wood to go all the way to the edge on my top one.  Now get a helping hand... or a couple of clamps like these. Fix the shelf where it is supposed to stay. From the back, using a drill, make 3 to 4 holes all the way into the shelf board. Repeat this for all shelves. Now, all holes are on the board and on the shelves boards, so it easy to assemble later on with no mistakes.  Once it is done, check if everything is ok and if it looks good on the wall. Now we need to work on those surfaces. At the moment, all edges are rough, so you need to start with the sandpaper. This is what makes a piece of furniture look good. I will say start with a sandpaper 80 for the edges, then 120 and to finish 240.   Add the screws from the back but just deep enough so you can see only the tip from the front (OMG have you seen how old and dirty the closet back was? haha)
Now you can attach the shelves quickly and screw the screws all the way in. Attach the MÅLA to it with the screws you will use to install it to the wall. And now the shelf is ready... unless you want to paint it... I like adding at least one layer of varnish to protect the wood from weather and dirty hands. Don't mind the clamp there... I screw way too much and deep, so I got a crack on the MÅLA. If this happens to you, just use wood glue and put some weight on it and let it dry with the screw inside.  Take everything apart again. Now is time to work closely on each part. If you are as annoying as I am, check every little millimeter for rough edges and make them as smooth as possible by hand.  Varnish the mainboard transparent on the back and front just to seal the wood, and it stays pretty and straight for years...If you aren't adding color, varnish all pieces and let dry for a night. I used extra matte varnish for a natural wood look.  Cut the Ferro Strip the same length of each shelf board and paste it. Be sure the wood doesn't have dust before you do this. The edges of the Ferro strip are a bit sharp, so I sandpaper them a bit.
Color. If u want the same "ombre" effect, you need two colors of paint. Paint the top shelf in the lighter color and the lower shelf and MÅLA in the darker color. In two little baby food jars, as they have a lid, I made the next 2 colors: the lighter one was 8:1 that means 8 teaspoons of the dark color and one of the lighter color and vice versa. But you can go creative and make it a rainbow or all the same color.  YES! you can paint over the Ferro strip, and it will need 2 coats. The Tonie magnetic system will still work, and no Tonies will fall to the ground. Assemble again once it is dry.  Mark your wall and make two holes, add dowels, and install the shelf to the wall. I added some installation glue at the back of the upper side, just to be sure it will stay even if Pepa hangs of it. Paint the screws in the same cold as the MÅLA, and you are done!  On this shelf, you can fit until 50 Tonie figures and a paper roll that will last for weeks. The figures stick pretty well to the Ferro strip, but it is still easy for kids to take the Tonies.
I hanged it over Pepa's Ferm Living Little Architect desk and bench, threw a Ferm Living Fruiticana rug, and put the little DIY drawers I made last year next to it. Hanged some of the DIY mobile I made for her and voila! The corner is ready. I am still looking for a lamp, but I have time until winter for that.  We have no more dramas trying to find Pepa's favorite ponies, no more stepping on them during the day with naked feet. No more papers are lying everywhere and buying books that break all the time.
Pepa now has her little corner, and I have some more order at home. And the Tonies are happy and safe as well. Did you like this DIY? Let me know if you build one and tag me please on your posts. Here is the video you can see on my IGTV with some videos of the process. 
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 Spring is here, and even though we are all in quarantine, we can at least enjoy some of the great ingredients that are harvested at this time. In my case are strawberries and asparagus. It always gets a bit tricky to cook the same food for us three, as I am an adult, Pepa, a toddler, and Otis, a baby. So here is how I solve this including a video of it at the end.  As I am writing a book for some months now, one of the things I need to do is to try different kinds of cooking technics. KMB & Braun Household send me the Multiquick7 to try it out. I had a Stabmixer from Braun for 20 years, and it still works as if it was new. But much has changed in technology since 1999. And all the new features that it has made my life (with kids) nowadays easier. Now even more as I make all meals for us three at home.  Making meals for us three could be time-consuming if you can't make them at the same time. So this recipe won't take more time than a conventional method, and it will include a baby meal. What you need for this recipe: A steamer or a steam basket 2 cups strawberries 1 cup of apples in slices 10 asparagus 2 garlic cloves lettuce fresh spinach 1 egg 200 ml of neutral oil a squeeze of lemon juice white vinegar a handful pistachios salt and pepper and a multiQuick7 of course
We start steaming now. Add the apples and 1 cup strawberries in the steamer or a pot with a steam basket. If your baby is 10 months old, you can add 1 asparagus. Add some water and let it steam until the apples are very soft. You can add some cinnamon to the water as well.  For the dressing, you need to make a mayonnaise first. This is super easy with the Multiquick 7. Check the video here or at my IGTV. Put in the glass the egg, oil, lemon, and insert the Multiquick 7 stab. Start blending with the Activeblade all the way down for a while until you see white coming up. Then lift the blade slowly until all is mixed and then push up and down until the consistency is perfect. This takes about a minute, and it is fools-proof. Add some vinegar to it until it reaches a dressing consistency.  Change from the Activeblade to the mini processor and use it to make the pistachios small. You can use any other nuts, but I love how strawberries taste together with pistachios. Heat a pan with some oil and add the chopped garlic. Break the last part of the asparagus stems with your hands and fry them until they are golden and take them off the heat.   By now, the fruits should be done. If your baby has no teeth still, I would use the Activeblade again to make it very smooth, but in my case, I changed to the mashed potatoes accessory and puree it until the fruits were done. Put it aside and let it cool down.  In plates, add the lettuce and spinach, use the rest of the strawberries thinly cut, and the asparagus cut in 3 cm pieces. By now, the baby food will be at room temperature.  The cutest thing I got with this PR package was this lovely bib for Otis... Isn't it the cutest? I drool every time he wears it!
Now we are ready to eat. Add the vinaigrette/dressing over the salad and sprinkle the pistachio dust over it, and you are ready to eat.  As I never get to eat warm, because I need to feed Otis, and sometimes Pepa, at the moment, I am eating a lot of cold foods. This salad tastes delicious warm, or after some time sitting there.  Eating fresh food that has a similar taste to the food that you regularly eat, helps your kid develop the same taste in food as you have. This will help you in the future to avoid "food dramas" and unnecessary "double cooking."
 Otis was a big fan of this food and couldn't get enough, Pepa had the salad and even got to help to feed Otis. This meant one spoon for her and one for him... kids!  Here is a short video of how easy it was to make this spring meal at home using Braun´s Multiquick7. I hope you liked this and you will make it at home. Please tag me in your stories or posts to see how you did! AD/PR Sample
 This Friday, we couldn't cope anymore with quarantine. And as we are allowed to go to the woods or outside to get some air, we decided to go to Tannenmühle, one of our favorite Black Forest restaurants since forever. No, don't worry, no one was there as it is forbidden to gather together in public. Tannenmühle started as a mill here in the Black Forest with a tiny restaurant next to it. With the years, the restaurant got larger and larger, and they started breeding trouts, building guest rooms, and they even have a petting zoo and started breeding other animals like deers.  I asked Tannenmühle if we could have a small picnic on their premises, and they said yes! Hooray for us! We packed the fox, our picnic blanket and some snacks and drinks and drove to the small village of Grafenhausen, where my parents have an Inn. I thought I'll do a Fox Test and see how versatile it is for short trips. As it is a super light stroller and folds quite nicely, it is the perfect companion for excursions if you don't have the Ant already. We usually walk through the woods these days, and we love that the wheels of our Bugaboo Fox can be locked for long stroller through nature, and it is light and easy to steer when we are in the city... A real All-Terrain.
Since last week the Fox2 is available with a couple of simple changes. The folding is supposed to be even more comfortable than it is now, and you can fold it in one piece. It has a peek-a-boo window like our Cameleon3 used to have. But I am super happy with our Fox first gen., and having the "Sister Board" is just fabulous as I can manage with 2 small kids while shopping or traveling.  Being in a place with as much History as Tannenmühle is fantastic and even better with such great weather. For the non-German speakers, "Tannen" means fir trees, and "Mühle" means mill...roughly translated. Our picnic was just in front of the old mill, as you can see. Such a pity we couldn't eat there this time. They have mouth-watering trout specialties, which are prepared in a variety of ways, and have earned them an outstanding reputation across this area. And they sell their trouts as well, I got some fresh ones to grill this Easter Sunday.
On sunny days, It is hard to be outside with a baby when you haven't packed a parasol. But one of the Fox features I love the most is that you can use the stroller seat as a regular seat. So, Otis was protected with the canopy and enjoyed the time with us in the sun. With milk instead of Juice, of course.  It was so relaxing to hear the water of the creek behind us with laying down eating muffins in the sun. Being all alone in such a beautiful place. That typically is filled with tourists and locals.
After our picnic, we went around the premises walking form their restaurant and zoo towards their Inn. We couldn't use their awesome playground because of the quarantine rules, but looking at the animals and getting some fresh air was just what we needed! We hope soon they will be open again and we can come and eat here and play with the animals and jump through the playground. Until then, we can buy trout and dream of better times.  Back to Bugaboo and our Fox. It was the best match for this small day trip. It was comfortable through the forest, practical for a picnic, little enough for my car, comfy for Otis nap, and it gave enough shade. Pepa had some rest on her board, and as it is so easy to steer, I was not exhausted at the end of the day... Yes! We love our Fox!  Outift Andrea: Shirt - Vila Clothing Jeans - 501 Levi´s Mules - Gucci Cap - Zara Outfit Pepa: Shirt - Zara Shorts - Non Signe Shoes - Bobux Outfit Otis: Dungarees - OshKosh Shirt - Zara Bandana - Disney Vintage Shoes - Bobux Ad/ PR Sample
 During Quarantine, I am cleaning my hard disk, and I found some lost files of mine I really wanted to post here. One of my favorite lunch experiences in Berlin is eating like a Jetson at Data Kitchen. I have never seen or eaten at a restaurant like this somewhere else. Data Kitchen is part of a renowned group where Cookies & Cream and Crackers are part of. So imagine how food their food is! They serve slow food...fast.  You can find Data Kitchen hidden in a backyard in the middle of Berlin, in Mitte, just where all the action is, and all the shopping spots are. The first time I got there, it took me a while to find it, but I am glad I didn't give up. Once you find the spot, it seems like a regular but beautiful restaurant / Café. But then you turn around and see THE WALL:  This wall! It looks like an art exhibit where they made a wall out of microwaves or a lab wall with many glass windows. All these doors display and animation of moving lines. Some windows display the animation and other light up and show food and a name. Very intriguing!
When the windows lighten up, some guests stood up, and after looking at their phones, the window opened, and they took a tray with their food. Craziness, right? But ill explain how all this works after I showed you what I ate.  One of the great things about their menu is that it is seasonal and regional, like this Hokkaido Soup I got made out of Pumpkin from Branderburger gardens, meadow fallen apples, chamomile infused oil and greek yogurt, such an exquisite treat.  Let's start explaining the process a bit. This restaurant is money and cards free. And don't expect a waiter to come by and take your order. You do it yourself, from a smartphone or your computer. The only thing you need is the internet and one of the last two devices. You can order at the restaurant or in advance from your home or office, and you can choose as well when it should be ready to eat. This saves you so much unnecessary waiting time. You pay with a card or PayPal but all online. Sorry Millenials with flip phones!  For the main dish, I order the very "Berliner" one: Senfeier or 'mustard eggs' – soft-boiled and served with mashed potatoes, all covered in a creamy mustard sauce with Cima di Rapa. Can I get this at home every day? But how do I get my plate? How these doors open? Once your dish is done, at the time you chose, you get an alert on your phone, you will then approach the window, and the light will turn on showing your name flowing with the animations and a button in your phone will appear that say "open door" you press it and it will open letting you take your food. So Jetsons, So futuristic!  To add an extra boost of vitamins, I ordered the Pear Promise smoothie... just delicious and served, of course, in a very sustainable way, with a glass straw. As their menu changes seasonally, their smoothies do as well. Everything is freshly made at their kitchen, and as far as I know, they try to go as regional as it is possible.
To finish, a coffee. They make a mean flat white, and you all know what a coffee freak I am (thanks Oslo for teaching me right) I really enjoyed the interior design at Data Kitchen, very minimalistic and those lamps! A view for sore eyes! For the ones wanting to see how the order process is, here are some of the screenshots I took when I ordered my food that day:     So if you are looking to have a new lunching experience, or you live in Berlin and want to have a quick lunch with no wait, or if you are a tech fan, I really recommend you to try this restaurant. It isn't just an experience of technology, but their food is just amazing. Let's hope this pandemic is fast over, and we can go out for food again!   |
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May 2020
AuthorsI am Andrea, or as my friends call me, Jinx. I am a foodie living in Berlin, eating my way through life. Here are my recipes, cooking events, dining experiences and more... |
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