Quick sewing update and news of a fantastic craft event in aid of the Poppy Appeal 2013.

Morning all, I am attempting to have a house work free day today but I doubt I will manage it, guilt you see!

Love, love, love these little stamps which my sister gave me, so versatile as they work on paper but very well on fabric, too.

Anyhow, just thought I would show you that I have sewn labels onto the bags I am sewing for my baking cupboard and I am pretty pleased with them! (Apologies for my microwave sneaking in at the back - I am trying harder with my photos.)

Really keen to make a few for the Christmas craft fair as if I do not sell them all I can use them for putting presents in, perhaps for the teachers.

Let me know what you think!

Also, just a gentle reminder of the next craft event at which you can find me. Hope to see you there, and DO tell your friends!

Catch ya later! xx

Bargians bought at Bowlee boot fair!

I have been on the hunt, again, for some boot fair booty - love a good rummage! On Sunday we went to a huge indoor flea market and out door boot fair. I went with a few things in mind to look for and see what I came home with?!

I am constantly on the look out for small doilies with which to eventually make a string of bunting to put in the spare room. (This is another idea I have seen by Sarah Moore.) I found these three lovelies for just £1.

Then, my next treasure is an earthenware pot for £2 in which to put the loo brush in the spare room. I intend to get a wooden brush as soon as possible, now that I have found the pot -  plastic just does not fit the room at all; bit by bit I SHALL get it perfect.

I love cream jugs as I feel they make brightly coloured flowers look much better than glass ones. This was £1.50; haggled him down from £2 when he said he was selling them for that due to the current interest in shabby chic!

I remembered yesterday that I had some dessert apples in the fridge which I did not want to spoil so baking an apple and pear cobbler seemed a good idea. Turned out proper yummy, as Tom Kerridge might say, and the fruit didn't go quite as mushy as with a crumble or pie.Just lovely with plain yoghurt.

Now, talking of baking, who will be tuned into the grand finale of TGBBO tonight? I surely will. I would love to see Frances win to prove that she is not just style over substance.

Well, I am just about to go and finish cleaning the bathroom and fold some clean washing before changing our bed. Hope you enjoyed my newest rambling and hope you will drop by again soon.

Don't forget that you can always receive my rambings direct to your inbox by subscribing with your email address. Hope you will still visit, though?

Catch ya later. xx

Honesty, the best policy!

Here's the thing, I seem to have had one heck of a week and regarding the plans I originally made life has certainly got in the way of them! 

I have come to the conclusion that, as I did not complete my baking challenge at all, I will try and make up for it in other ways so that, hopefully, you will still keep visiting to see my creating and baking. (Imagine me with a pleading face!) 

Therefore over the last couple of days I have managed to make a few new things, as well as the banana and chocolate flapjack on the first day. One was butternut squash and chic pea humous. I am basically working my way through Jamie Oliver's "Save With Jamie" which I think I mentioned I received from my niece for my birthday. This recipe is so easy and very yummy indeed. This is how the squash looks like when you have baked it in the oven,straight on the shelf, for 40 minutes or so depending on the size of the squash.

This is the finished result along with some piadina. Jamie Oliver describes Piadina as being loved by people in northern Italy and is a toasted flatbread filled with something delicious. I am now never going to buy garlic flatbread ever again as I made two of these in around 10 minutes - sooo easy! This was made to a plain recipe but you could add into it sun dried tomatoes, herbs, garlic or anything you fancy to use as an accompaniment to a main dish of your choice. Go on, give it a go!

I have been tidying out my Country Living magazines, now we are coming to the end of the year, as I had my whole subscription pile sitting there. I have taken out the recipe, cooking/baking and decorating ideas and anything else that will come in very useful and filed most of them away. In a couple of them Sarah Moore has featured with some fairly simple sewing projects with vintage always in mind. I decided to follow her lead in that there can be beauty in utility and I made a drawstring bag out of an old tea towel from Emma Bridgewater. 

Here is how it turned out. It is about 190mm by 160mm and if I can manage to make half a dozen or so in time for either of my craft events in November or December I will be really chuffed!

 

They can be used to make items in your baking cupboard look pretty. I am using this one to keep the marshmallows in for the boys' hot chocolate so if they see it on the side in the kitchen they will know a treat is on the way!

Well, I truly hope I have redeemed myself and that you have enjoyed the creating and baking I have managed to do. I have had great fun with a varied bunch of projects and I hope you will drop by again soon.

Catch ya later!! xx

Baking Challenge Day 2 - oops!

Hi. I have a confession to make - I failed on day two of my challenge. I knew I had a lot on this week and thought it might be a tight squeeze to get it done and so there we are.

I had a tonne of stuff to do yesterday. With the decorating just getting finished I was in a bit of a mess downstairs and had to go out and get a can of paint anyhow. I had been given some lush red and also stripey green home-grown tomatoes and needed to get them made into chutney so that was on the agenda - see below how it turned out.

Also I had agreed to put a couple of things together as a raffle prize for a local hospital fundraiser so made a lemon drizzle cake and popped it in a bag with some of the rhubarb jam I made the other week - always useful when you have something in stock for a sudden request. So I am afraid the personal baking went out the window. We were going out as a family to one of the boys' after school activities so had to get a requested sausage pasta bake made for them before I did the school run. 

I feel I am full of excuses but glad I could help out so don't feel so very bad.

So just now I am having a breather after doing most of the cleaning up as the painting is finished.

Well, I now need to go and find something I can definitely get completed for the challenge today - I would be no good AT ALL on The Great British Bake Off with my time keeping!

My Second Annual Baking Challenge.

Well, here we are National Baking Week 2013. I have given myself the challenge, again, of making something for the first time every day from now until Friday. This is in honour of National Baking Week. Hurrah!

Today's recipe, I admit, did not tax the brain too much but I have had a really busy day and I am also trying to create and bake around my hubby who is currently re-decorating the living room, so can't complain really.

Today I have made banana and chocolate flapjack and here is the finished product.

Pleased to say they went down well with all the men in my house. I hope to post the recipe on Foody Fun at some point.

Today I am also able to share with you a papercraft commission I have recently been working on, a birthday guest book.  

The party will have a burlesque theme so this is all gilt and feathery; I particularly like the gold-effect book mark.

That is is just now as we are mid-way through bath time and I have one lot of reading to do before bedtime. Just off to Twitter this to a few people to spread the word of creating and baking!

Catch ya later! xx

Christmas is coming!

Just have a couple of minutes to post a quick craft for Christmas project. Hubby is putting a new front door in so I am out of the way- keeping warm. I bought these wooden pegs and my sister gave me the stamp set and I am very happy with the results! Planning on putting them in the Christmas craft event stock basket.

Must dash - school run calls! xx 

How Very Exciting 

Well, some very quick but also extremely exciting news!

 

Through my Twitter account I was asked if I would like to contribute to a food blog as a guest blogger. I was extremely flattered that John from FoodBlogs.co.uk asked me to write something for them. On this blog you will see a link on the right hand side to my article. I was really pleased with the way it came out.  

Maybe if you have time you could pop over and take a look at it?

That's all for now. Catch ya later! xx