A gift for a baby in the making

Today's little project 'in my spare time'. Hahaha.

This was fun! I googled for a bib shape as I wasn't happy with the ones on hand. Now I have done one, I just know I I will make 800000000! I did it with snaps instead of velcro, because I had some and wanted to give it a go. Very happy with result.

Christmas Crafted Item 1

From our home to theirs :)

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

I'll be back to post on what I made for presents soon - meanwhile, looky what I got!

Excitement plus! My first overlocker (serger)! So thankful! Does anyone have tips on using one? We are setting it up soon and my excitement is tinged with inexperience and fear lol. I am excited about what it will mean for neat seams etc (the bane of my sewing existance)!

RE crafting presents, I also got some wonderful Japanese craft books and a voucher that bought me a yo yo maker and new scissors. Very happy.

A fruit cake recipe for you

I'm just about to make my Nanna's fruit cake to take along to the family Christmas as requested and thought I would share the recipe with you.

It's a great recipe to make as a gift as it's not hugely rich like some fruit cakes, nor is their any alcohol in it. I like all different kinds of fruit cake, but this one is light and moist and scrummy.

La Tempete's Nanna's Eggless Fruit Cake

Place in saucepan:


2 cups milk
2 cups mixed fruit
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 tablespoons sugar

Bring to boil and add 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda.

Stir well, cool a little and add 2 cups self raising flour & 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Beat well.

Line a cake tin with baking paper and bake in moderate over, 1 hour.

Chopped dried apricots, nuts etc can be added if desired.

(c) My Nanna!

Cinnamon Yumminess

Made this playdough today as part of a Christmas gift.

I made it red and green and added cinnamon and nutmeg so it smelled Christmassy!

YUM.

A little stickier than other playdoughs I have made but still fun :)

http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/No-Cook-Playdough-L2119.html

Apron for my sister

Here's an apron I made for my sister; hope she likes it! I love the combo of the yellow and black and white polka dots; cute and retro :)

I won a Simply Modern Mom giveaway!

I love the Simply Modern Mom blog. Such gorgeousness.

And what do you know, I won a giveaway! SO excited!!!

Thanks again, Tiffany!

Today's project - thanks, Martha & Joelle!

Today I tried out the instructions for these cute little ‘Quilted Coasters’ that I found on Martha Stewart’s website. Apparently they originally hail from "Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson.

I thought they would make a good little Christmas present for a few people along with other pressies.

In some parts my stitching is a bit wonky, but I did enjoy it and put heaps of love into them! They don’t take long either! I'll be making a few more sets out of my scrap stash!

Nanna's Biscuits (cookies)

Nothing beats my Nanna's biscuits. If you're looking for a recipe to try out today, give this one a try. This is usually made with any flavour jam/jelly in the middle but sometimes I split the batch and add ingredients to make different flavours. They can be messy (see pic), it doesn't matter, they still taste great!

Nanna's Jam Drops

2 cups self raising flour
½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
1-2 eggs
dollops of jam

Beat the butter and sugar to cream and add eggs, beat well.

Add flour to make a dough. Form into round balls.

Press a thumb print into each, fill this indent with jam. Bake in a quick oven (I use 200 C/393 F for 15 mins).

La Tempête's notes:

• I usually use 2 eggs.
• I love these with raspberry jam
• Instead of making balls and squashing them, I roll mix into a log, wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for about 10-15 mins. Then I slice off little discs. Just like the frozen biscuit tubes you can buy in the supermarket. It keeps for a while in the freezer, so I try and keep a log there for when unepected visitors drop by.

For variations, try;

• Cocoa, shredded coconut and peppermint essence to taste
• Smashed up cornflakes and raisins/sultanas
• Lemon curd instead of jam
• I don't put jam in the flavoured ones

 This recipe is copyright my Nanna! She's been making it over 50 years. So please do not copy it with out crediting or linking here :) Thanks my lovelies.

Let me know if you make some :)

Chocolate on my Cranium: Crayon Roll Tutorial

Chocolate on my Cranium: Crayon Roll Tutorial

Crayon Rolls for Christmas

Thank you to Chocolate on my Cranium for a great tutorial!
Here are some of my creations so far.

Christmas.

Making Xmas presents

I am busy making (sewing mainly) Christmas presents at the moment.

The biggest bummer is that I can't show you any! Mainly because a couple of people that may be getting them read my blog occasionally. SELFISH. Hehe. So I can't wait until after Christmas when I can share some pictures.

Hope all is well and happy with you all, wherever you may be.

A basic skirt

I did this up today for a little girl's birthday that is coming up soon. Excuse the lack of ironing hehe. Not really my thing :)

It's just a simple tube style skirt but I love the fun IKEA fabric. Update: Fabric is called 'Belinda', designed by Caroline Abild Jessen (2005). Thank you google.com!

Life is far too short to be ironing all the time. Although I promise I or someone else in this house WILL iron things before gifting them!

Now, instead of ironing, who'll join me in a cup of coffee and some peppermint chocolate?

Little Gift Bag

Here's a little gift bag I whipped up today in time for the Christmas gift giving season. I intend to fill it with cookies before giving it and some 'siblings' out. It's made out of antique European linen that I have had for ages but have never used for anything. Hopefully the recipients will enjoy it's beauty and continue to fill it with little treasures.

I was inspired by tiny happy's repurposing of fabrics. I started making a drawstring bag from a tutorial on another blog in another material. I was not happy with the results so made this little bag with french seams and stitched the cotton tape on through a gap in the lining before stitching it up.

I plan on making quite a few in similar fabrics. Very pleased with it!

My new sewing box

Any ideas about how I should decorate it? It's really practical, I got a tool box instead of the sewing ones because it is much bigger, better value etc. But it is a bit boring. Ideas? I need to girl it up.

Sorry, it is not the best picture. The picture on the label is a bit better. The lid has a clear plastic compartment with some spaces for a few small things (thimbles, toggles and buttons hiding in there now).

Giveaway central

I love VeryPurplePerson's sew I do. Cute fabrics, awesome nostalgia from the Tokyo factor and such great ideas!

She's hosting a giveaway as it is her birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday, Novita!

Check it out and enter. Although I really hope I win!!! My fingers are crossed tightly as I love that vintage looking aeroplane print! Still, it just wouldn't be right not to share the love :)

Sewing

I'm using this gorgeous fabric for a new project - the most ambitious I have attempted! Cross your fingers for me that it works out! For accomplished sewers it would be a breeze, I'm sure. As a born again sewer I'm nervous about these things though.

Also working on some Christmas craft. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, as the song goes.

Another giveaway!

Check out A Little Sweetness for another awesome giveaway. Such sweet fabrics and embroidery. FOLLOWED. Hehe.

Awesome Giveaway for any Aussies/Kiwis

I just had to let any Aussie or Kiwi readers know about the great giveaway over at Handmade Kids. I wouldn't want anyone to miss the chance to enter to win those AWESOME prizes.

Great for those with kidlets or for those with kidlets in their lives, like aunties, uncles, grandmas, grandpas and godparents! Christmas taken care of for one lucky little kidlet, or maybe a few!

Tutorials

I have been trying out the many and varied tutorials online...I've found some FANTASTIC and others a bit MEH. Needless to say, these people are all very generous for offering their tips for free and sharing with all in the blogosphere and beyond.

I've actually got a few ideas for tutorials that I plan on posting sometime next week. They are just very simple ideas many of you may have already tried but they may help someone out there!

I know sometimes I just need a little 'handholding' through the process and I imagine I am not alone.

Looking forward to sharing.

NEW STUFF. Again.

Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

An oldie but a goodie; always inspiring.

Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?  Are you excited about life; positive and happy, or are you mainly a complainer that only sees the rain?

If you haven't seen this, please watch it here.

Now, are you feeling all Christmassy yet?

It's starting for me! I really want to make this cute wreath as seen on Bleubird Vintage. SO cute. I think I will change the colours to be a little more festive and Christmassy, but I like this one too.

Sunflower Seed Butter

I am so making some of this! YUM.

Picture from Domestifluff

Cute printable

How sweet is this cute printable stationery set?

Picture from Eat Drink Chic

I saw it originally at How About Orange.

Uber Cute Site Update

Check out tinyhappy; she is so crafty and recycles a lot of materials, embellishments etc in her projects. I really like her blog, always interesting and full of lovely loveliness.

Also have a look at Up All Night. Meg is lovely and enthusiastic about her crafting and garden too :)

Salad fresh from the garden

Our garden is starting to produce more and more :) It makes me so happy.

Making bags

One for my sister's birthday, one for me!

The process...

...continued...

The finished product! I was so happy with these.  The photo could be better, but in real life they look great!

I hope my sister likes hers (on right). I know I love mine! Thanks tinyhappy for the inspiration. I used her shoulder bag tutorial as my guide and adapted the pattern as I saw fit to make my own pattern. Her tutorial was very straightforward and easy to follow.

Pre-ironing ;p

Love these fabric flowers

Planning on making some of these from MollyChicken later to go with my latest creation :)

Bursting to show you!

Bursting to show you the item I have sewed a few days ago now! I am really pleased with  it, for a first effort in this style.

But I have to keep it secret for a few more days. It's so hard.

Until then I will show you another photo of a step in it's creation...

Sewing, stitching, crafting!

2 Uber Cute Sites

Found 2 sites today and thought they were a must to share!

As if I needed any more inspiration to amp up my sewing attempts! The fabric at funkyfabrix is so gorgeous that I can barely restrain myself right now! Hahaha. Lucky my wallet is in a different room!

Blooming in Japan is lovely and I just love her creations. The fabrics she uses are great too, and she has inspired me to try a messenger bag after my handbag project is finished. Stay tuned for pictures! And go and check out the Blooming in Japan blog and store.

I have been collecting quite a few blogs of fabulosity so will have to share some others again soon!

Love this floor

From http://www.aaasexyfloors.com.au/

Not a great picture, but I just love the colour of that floor! I wonder if I would ever have the guts to use it!

Baby wearing my shorts!

Dear Lord, I did it!

OMG. I actually managed to make baby shorts! OK, probably not a big deal for a lot of crafters. But I haven't sewn in years! And the bug has bit me bad recently, so I had to start again.

I've been keeping crafty with scrapping and embroidery, but this is my first sewing project in about 4 years. So I am starting from scratch really. Please know that a pair of shorts is about as fancy as I have ever sewed! So for me, a big deal!

Also, I did not use a pattern, I just based the cut around an existing pair of shorts.

These are a 'practice pair'; so I have used scrap material and did not bother to change thread colour. They turned out OK (obviously not perfect) so I will be making some more tomorrow. My seams were a bit wobbly and I had a slight issue with the crotch sitting right, but it's all good now!

YAY.

NEW STUFF.

This is a terrible photo, I know. But it is for my sister - a lovely person gave me these today and as my sister is the current family quilting nut, I will pass these kits on to her.

Great Free Halloween Decorations

Wowee, check these out! Great for anyone that is time poor, not crafty or just lazy!

HP Halloween Decorations

Pumpkin Pie Making

Photography by Jared Fowler on taste.com.au

I am making one of these babies for a Halloween shindig we are having on Saturday.

Yum Yum. You can find the delicious Taste.com.au recipe here.

ARGH.

Whole family sick! Feeling woozy. No further blogging tonight.

Might make some fabric flowers if time and illness allows - as seen on WiseCraft. They look awesome. Thanks for an awesome tute. These could adorn almost anything; bags, necklaces, be worn as a brooch, added to quilts or other sewing projects...I like.

So many sewing plans!

I haven't sewed in such a long time. But I have such a sewing bug at the moment! Everywhere I look on the net I see exciting ideas and some really easy patterns. I can't wait to get stuck into actually making some soon. When I have 5 minutes to myself. HA!

These are my plans so far:

Handbag(s)
Homesewn 'Ziploc' bags
Apron
And so many more

Hahahaha. So tired right now but links and pictures=tomorrow.

Charity: Water

The story of charity: water - The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

Fresh and dirty...straight from the garden

Pin Up Pomp

Lovely! I will have to try it out. Thanks again to AngryChicken (can you tell I am reading her blog today?).

On the subject of fonts...

Handwriting practice for the little ones - just type in your phrase and create printouts for your special little guy/girl.

Find it at http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/; thanks AngryChicken for the tip!

Create your own font

OMG OMG OMG. So doing it.

http://www.fontcapture.com/

Great video - Story of Stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

Creative Recycling; or, what to do with 50 plastic bags you don't need

Pattern at http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/07/03/crocheted-plarn-tote-bag/

Garden starting to produce!!! And new sprouts too.

Going to give this one a try as soon as I find the sewing machine! Yes, it's squirrelled away.

From http://www.tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/06/shoulder_bag_tu.html

Perfect for banishing the Monday blues...

For a laugh or ten, check out:

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

DIY Shed - In my dreams

From http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Earthbag-Building-Garden-Shed.aspx

Just think of all that stuff I could stash away in there. Oh to have room for my own hobbit style shed!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday, everyone. In the spirit of domesticity, I have baked a special Happy Friday treat for the family to enjoy this afternoon. It may or may not be the only domestic task I have completed today :D

Here is the recipe in case you would like to help celebrate the magnificent day that is FRIDAY!!!

La Tempête's Sweet Chocolately Delight

1 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
125g melted butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
125g chocolate/choc bits

Mix everything together except chocolate. Place in greased slice pan. I mush it to equal height in pan with my (clean) hands. Push smashed up chocolate or chocolate buttons into the top.

Bake at 180 C for 30 mins. Cool in pan.

Fun in the sun

Have the time to spend in the garden today, waiting for the right time to go down and get started.

Today I have to plant out some of my new yellow pollenless Sunflower seeds (thanks MIL), repot some of the burgeoning seedlings that are too close together, and decide which plants I will be giving away.

I'm a newbie, so of couse had seed fever when I got my seeds; planted far too many of everything. Now they are fighting for space and I realise if they all survive, my potted container garden will be a market garden of some nature. I have a big family and some friends that won't mind adopting a plant or two, so they won't go to waste. The ones I have the most of are cabbage and silverbeet. I swear I only planted so many and they had a mutant party and split into many more!

The carrots really need to be thinned out, I found it really hard to get the right number of seed planted. They are just so tiny. It seems a waste to just thin them out, but I tried transplating some with no luck.

Next time I plant carrots (or other tiny seeds), I am going to try making my own seed tape. Check out this link to see how.

Cross stitch stuff

I am all into cross stitch again! I have been looking at new, funky patterns and designing my own...I want to do different sort of projects and make a whole heap of presents for family and friends for Christmas. I did the snail teatowel as a 'quickie' thank you present for my sister (only a few hours!) but the stuff I am thinking about is quite involved so will take me ages.

Wish me luck!

Loving these http://www.emilypeacock.com

My vegie garden

My garden is coming along really well. It's all growing quite well...at the moment I have the following growing, all in pots:

1. Broad Beans (x4)
2. Cabbages
3. Tomatoes (Black Russian, Tommy Toe Sweeties, Beefsteak)
4. Bok Choy
5. Carrots
6. Basil
7. Beetroot
8. Lettuce
9. Silverbeet
10. Passionfruit
11. Chives
12. Potatoes (4 different 'mystery' varieties) - these are in hessian bags
13. Cucumbers
14. Rescued lime tree, starting to look more like a tree than a stick now :D

They are mostly all at the seedling stage now, but I am ever hopeful I will have sucessful crops. Most have been planted 4-6 weeks ago. If they do all survive, we will be well on the way towards a more self sufficient lifestyle.

Hmmm I think that's it, will post pictures soon!

Present for my sister - Snail love tea towel