Catch up after Halloween

Ok, so my boys had their little Halloween party with a couple of chums. I was so busy chatting to the mums that I did not take as many photos as I should have done. 

If you can get a close up of the bottle on the table you might see that I printed off some labels saying witches blood. (Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?) I have been looking for bottles like this for so very long and these were in Ikea. I love them so much that I am now using one of them for milk!

This was the gang after the little treasure hunt I did with goodie bags of sweets and treats. I made clue cards in the shape of ghosts and they really enjoyed it, I think.

Even though All Hallows is now over I still love the colours of the season so I decided to buy an extra pumpkin to use as part of a flower display - and here it is.

I have begun baking for my craft event on Sunday, will remind you of the date again shortly; so excited about seeing everybody! I have begun with Barm Brack which is a lovely moist cake to go with a cup of tea. I am waiting for my new mini loaf tin. I am hoping this will be with me by tomorrow then I can crack on with my almond pound cakes which are also on my list to do for the first time. I already have my tomato chutney ready to be labelled and the lids covered which is great. Soda bread is always a part of my food items and this time I will be including some sun dried tomato flavoured loaves along with plain plus those with poppy seeds added. New items  I am also including are oatbran crackers which turn out like digestive biscuits and are fantastic with cheese and chutney - hoping to sell some with my chutney!

Better remind you of the event at the weekend before I forget! I will be there, as it says, from 10am - 4pm on Sunday.

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Ok, I think that is about it now, apart from the fact that the boys are now back at school so I was very lazy yesterday. This was of course to the point at which parental guilt kicked in, as it always does, and I shot up and did a few chores around the house! Today I have made sausage casserole for the boys' tea. This was with sausages from a family member we collected half a pig from at the weekend. Suffice to say the freezer is now well and truly stocked! Jon and I are having homemade burgers a la Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I love this programme on Food Network as I think it gives you some fantastic ideas for home cooked comfort food and how to spice up your own favourite dishes. 

 Also today I have made some yummy orange and sultana caked as I needed to use up the two oranges that I took the zest from for the Barm Brack cake yesterday; as you can see they came out with a lovely orange tinge to them.

Ok that really is it from me now as I have to do the school run in a little while but need to get a couple of other things done, too.

Catch ya later! xx

A card for a friend I can now share with you.

I have been dying to share this card with you. I made it for a friend in New York, she is a brit  working over there, so she appreciates good decorations and celebrations for high days and holidays.

The pumpkin and trick or treat stickers are from Tim Holtz, the paper with the small pumpkins is Night Fall / Night Light by American Crafts (which seems to have been discontinued) and the large pumpkin comes from Paper Pizazz.

I love using old music papers on any projects and being old they just seem to create a wonderful effect for Halloween. I pick up music scores really cheaply from boot fairs and charity shops.

Hope you all enjoyed the celebrations and chose to be treated instead of tricked!

Catch ya later! xx

Happy Halloween!

Looking forward to posting pictures of my two boys and their school pals having a little party here later today.

Catch ya later! xx

This and that with a bit of the other.

Just a bit of random ramblings - nothing new there. Even though the Bake Off is now finished I still am a committed baker and maker and today i found a spring form cake tin by George Wilkinson.It was 50% off in the sale at Asda so for £2.50 I thought it a steal! Always wanted one but bakeware can be so very expensive.

I have put up the Halloween decorations. I just put things out downstairs and always on the mantle piece.I still love the banner from when I made it last year and my spooky tags.

My boys will be having their little Halloween tea on Thursday so I will be busy carving my pumpkins on Wednesday daytime as we are out to our bonfire that night. Our own fireworks will be on early evening Sunday as we are having friends and family around for a love roast diner with all the trimmings. I normally put pumpkins outside but the weather is so wet at the moment I fear they would be spoilt, so the front window will have to suffice!  (These are my pumpkins from last year.)

On Wednesday I made the boys some lemon-flavoured cakes in flat-bottomed ice cream cones. I saw Anna Olsen do this at the same time as seeing her use an old-style ice cream scoop; this makes putting the mixture in the cones, and also paper cases, much easier. Here are the results.

My boys are not keen on cupcake swirls so we put icing and decorations on instead.

Well, that is about it for me for now. Busy few days coming up but still hope to share a few of my creating and baking items with you.

Catch ya later.xx

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