i watched a ted talk a few weeks ago, if you don't know ted.com then you should check it out, the video i watched is called using nature's genius in architecture you can watch it here.. i love how you can easily add videos to a post :) the video basically talks about how we can copy the way nature does things and create according to that, for example nature never creates something that doesn't have any use, even when trees or animals die they decompose and can also be used as compost for plants, to have a clear idea, watch the video
i don't know why i this video, i just thought the concept is interesting and because a week ago i was introduced to something called permaculture.
permaculture is sustainable land use design. That is based on ecological and biological principles(i stole from wikipedia). the project is done by entity green, if you live in amman i'm sure you were introduced to anselm ibing at some point, he is an environmentalist who's been working on environmental projects with Entity green here in jordan.
so the permaculture project that entity green is doing now consists of two projects, one of them is in jordan valley in a village called jawasreh, i volunteered there with alomost 30 other people to help build a house from straw bales and mud briks, this was a preparation for a workshop taking place from the 27th of february until the 3rd of march so if you're interested in getting your hands all muddy and having a wonderful spiritual experience please contact me on my email or mobile and i will connect you with anselm.
to know more about the project which will be given by trainer sasha rabin visit these websites: http://www.verticalclay.com/about-us.html http://permaculture.org.au/coursedetail.php?page_id=195&scheduleid=274&classname=Natural Building Course, Jordan
(pictures of the first project below)
the second project is the mafraq permaculture reforestation project in an area called Sama serhan the project is designed by entity green employees (anselm, dan and jo). 25 donums of land located around the st. george vineyard close to the Syrian border. we planted trees using premaculture methods which means planting the trees in contour swales that catch rain water so that the trees get watered naturally without using irrigation and it also stores water, of course that will take some time to accomplish as the trees still need irrigation. the trees we planted are chosen to be compatible to the climate of the area.
along with the entity green team, christian douglas who is specialised in premaculture came with us to this location and gave us a few tips and lots of useful information on how to plant trees.
i learned a lot from this experience and i still have much to learn, i'm not even sure i explained the whole thing the way it's supposed to be explained but if you want to learn more you should come volunteer.. i can't wait to plant nitrogen fixer trees in my garden :) my pear, cherry, apricot and lemon trees are going to be really happy :)
i know i haven't been using caps in this post, i decided to stop using them forever
the vineyard
chris teaching us how to plant the trees
my favourite tree, which i planted! it's either almond or pistachio i still don't know but it's still my favourite one :)
A lot of people have been asking me how I make my lanterns, so I decided to post a tutorial for everyone who's interested in learning how to make them.
Now I was supposed to do a video of this tutorial but I need a cameraman and I don't have one, and my Mac book is not working at the moment, so I can't edit the video
I want to ask all of you who want to make this lantern to please be careful and wear gloves when you're bending the can (shown in a picture below)
So lets begin! now get down on the floor and give me 20 push-ups before you start because you're going to need all the muscle you have :P
You will need: a clean tin can, scissors, a hammer, 2 beads,a cutter, glue, paper (i used a small paper bag), markers, clothes hanger, measuring tape, screwdriver and pliers
use the hammer and the screw driver to make two holes opposite each other on the top of the can
with the measuring tape, mark the areas where you want to cut the can, make the marks two centimeters apart from the top and the bottom of the can
use a pencil to make a line between the opposite marks to keep the cutting straight, i don't know why i used a marker but if you do, you can wipe it off with nail polish remover after you're done
with the cutter, start cutting along the lines and be very careful.. this is the difficult part
use gloves and bend the strips from the inside out until you can push the can from the top.
this is how the can should look like
cut the hanger and remove the plastic with the cutter, because the candle will melt the plastic if you keep it, or use a wire hanger without plastic
this is how it should look like after removing the plastic and bending it
put the beads in then bend the wire on each end making an L shape
Insert the wire into the holes
bend the wire up with the pliers
this is how it should look like
cut a piece of paper
glue then wrap the paper around the bottom of the lantern
you can also draw on the paper or use paper with a nice pattern
all you need to do now is light a candle in the lantern and enjoy, i hope you find this tutorial useful, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment :)
first of all, i'd like to thank everyone who gave me their old ties and i would like to ask anyone who has ties they don't wear to please give them to me :) even if they were really ugly, of course otherwise you wouldn't give them to me :)
i enjoyed making these new upcycled items, although i had a few fights with my sewing machine due to my lack of experience, but i did surprise myself with the results.. also if you have any ideas, i'd be happy to hear them, and your comments are highly appreciated.. here we go..
Sewing
Small bag for the ipod or iphone or any mobile phone, it can be used for cameras too
Handbag
I really don't know what this is, a necklace? a colar? a scarf? i'll let whoever buys it decide
