Craft Yourself

Recent crafty action

2011-08-05T20:43:00.006+12:00

I recently did some freezer paper stenciling on tees for the children. I got the templates from here, Ottobre design:

I'm really happy with how they turned out and the kids love them. The tees were in the bargain bin at Charlie and Me.

Last school holidays the children also designed their own monsters, which I helped them sew up! Got to love that purple nose ;)

And just found this pic, teacher gifts from Easter. The kids made these cute felt cards with googly eyes - who doesn't love googly eyes!

Upcycling

2011-03-13T17:41:00.006+13:00

I've almost forgotten how to blog...woops!

I upcycled a vintage sheet and made shorty jamas, as well as another pair of long ones. I'm going to pair them with plain tees for the change of season.

I found a lovely women’s skirt at the hospice shop – it had no waistband and just a zip back, so I made two new side seams, chopped the excess off and voila a new skirt for K! (ignore hot pink tee!)

Party inspiration board!

2010-08-21T08:32:00.005+12:00

Almost two years since my last post??!! Busy times!

Couldn't work out how to link the individual photos from flickr, but if you want more info let me know!

Orange Cake

2008-12-05T15:58:00.002+13:00

1 whole orange (cut into quarters or eighths) and if you want a more orangey taste add some extra orange peel
180gr of butter melted
3 eggs
1 cup of castor sugar
1 1/2 cups self raising flour

Whizz all ingredients in food processor and pour into a greased ring tin.
Bake at 180 degrees C for 40-45 mins.

I iced with lemon/cream cheese icing.
I guess you could use lemons instead of an orange too.

Couldn't be easier, and is so yummy and summery.

The boy

2008-12-04T20:59:00.004+13:00

Since my last post, the boy has turned three. Happy Birthday Cole. You are the loveliest combination of rough-housing boy mixed with sweetness that is just so special. Right now it's all about fire engines, fire fighters, hosing down imaginary flaming things in the garden, siren noises and everything is an 'emergency'!
That's almost it for the party season. One last little friend party on Saturday, then all done til Christmas! ha!

One week...

2008-11-12T21:56:00.004+13:00

...has seen our baby evolve from a kindy girl to a school girl.

Kindy playdoh cake

Special birthday party guest (the pony, that is!)

It's all about pink!

First day of school

Five is so cool. Way to go K, we are so proud of you x

Dress rehersal...

2008-10-30T21:28:00.003+13:00

One of Keira's friends is turning five and he is having a spooky/halloween party on Saturday. K was adamant she wanted to go as a bat (witch - no thanks mumma, ghost - yes, but i need a white hood.. umm no) BAT, I really want to be a bat! okay bat girl...
She went to a party today and has remanats of butterfly paint on her face, but hey its party season!

There has been a lot of mirror looking :) So i think the wings turned out okay. And she loves it, so thats what counts!

I will take a proper photo when fully kitted out on Saturday.

It's all about birthdays

2008-10-16T16:11:00.004+13:00

This is the picture Keira has drawn for her birthday invitations. I like the levitating hat. And the party dress. Actually I think she did good all round! Lots of her friends have turned five and are off to school, so in just a few short weeks it will be her turn. What fun!

Vintage book art

2008-09-11T17:50:00.003+12:00

Latest artwork for Cole's room. A page from a ripped vintage children's book. Thankfully 'car' also starts with the letter C :)

Finally robotic beings rule the world

2008-09-08T21:39:00.005+12:00

Keira has been a robot-drawing-machine this weekend. A kindy friend turned five and here is the card she made for him..
This is robot collage from kindy. I love the lips on Ms Robot 754, don't you?
And here is the photo book for B for fathers day. I was really happy with how it turned out.

I'll leave you with this binary solo...

Almost spring

2008-08-29T19:54:00.006+12:00

How did a month go by so fast!?
I have to confess to being very preoccupied with making photo books in iPhoto. I know you can do this on various photo printing websites, but I love how you can just build it in iPhoto, then press the 'buy book' button and away you go! Seriously fab.

On the crafty front - mine has been non-existent. I have acquired some great fabric that I might make some softies with, or shorts for Cole. Not sure yet. Could go either way at this stage!

Keira's dog had a birthday. Fun times. She made her a cake (complete with six flaming candles and of course a party hat).
She has also taken to making board games. Here is mouse trap - complete with cheese and three mice. Yesterday it was a care bear/my little pony hybrid game with very complicated rules. So cool.
Cole has a Spongebob fascination going on at the moment. Here is a pic he drew:
Have a great weekend!

Playing catch up!

2008-07-27T21:54:00.006+12:00

My mum is here at the moment, so the children are having a wonderful time with Nana. We have been bunkering down from the hideous stormy weather with lots of painting, play doh, pop-up-tent-camping and watching home movies!

I have been attempting to catch up on my photo printing/sorting. Here is what one order of 820 photos looks like!
We did manage to brave the weather this morning and pop out to the Variety Club Book Fair. Lots of good bargains, some of these too keep and some for crafting.

I had to laugh at that last picture - I think Old Gobbler has had more than enough thanks June!
Keep warm out there!

Fabric goodness

2008-07-07T21:07:00.002+12:00

Now I've got a lot of paper for crafting. In fact it probably needs sorting out. But not so much fabric... so I thought I'd indulge a little in some Japanese cotton/linen craft fabric:
Am very pleased with this lot :)

Wands for magic

2008-06-29T16:40:00.003+12:00

Todays project:

Changes

2008-06-12T21:58:00.004+12:00

Nature table (well, plate really) of leaves, pods, flowers. Goodbye Autumn, hello winter.

Celebrating...

2008-06-07T17:59:00.010+12:00

...this week, our wedding anniversary and my birthday.
Remembering honeymoon in Tahiti - translucent lagoon, snorkelling, pinapple and vanilla plantations, warm water and amazing fish, beachside bungalow, wonderful people, pina coladas and tequila sunrise :) , start of a new us x
Birthday festivities - grateful for wonderful husband, amazing children who I am constantly in awe of (and who were super excited that it was mummies birthday 'you're not 3 mumma!' - no, we just don't have enough candles), fabulous family and friends, and of course health and happiness. Happy days x

Shopping lists and Bunting flags

2008-05-31T13:26:00.004+12:00

So K was reading the junk mail and I said to her, why didn't she make a shopping list. So armed with scissors and glue stick, this is what she came up with...
Looks like it's going to be a lolly-fest and a mince-athon.

Going through my fabric scraps and reading The Creative Family, I was inspired to make some bunting flags.

So almost June and the weather is still pretty nice. Coldish but still a reasonable amount of sun each week! How long do you give it?!

Doggie the Dog

2008-05-25T14:04:00.004+12:00

I finished Cole's dog. It's name hasn't been decided on yet, but it's looking like Doggie, or something equally as fitting for a canine in the eyes of a two year old :)

Happy days in the spinach patch with Rosa the cat (are they waving or directing planes?)
Ok, I'm off to copy some patterns from sewing books that need to go back to the library. Have a nice Sunday.

Lucy, Larry and Soup

2008-05-24T13:44:00.007+12:00

My Mum painted this painting that hangs in Keira's room. It is of some of my favourite childhood toys: Victoria Cooking Mouse, that my Dad brought back from an overseas trip; a teddy from my paternal grandparents; a teddy from my maternal grandparents; Larry and Lucy - two ragdolls Mum sewed for me; and a knitted bunny.
K has been asking about them and if she could play with Lucy and Larry. They had been in a storage crate in the shed, so it was good to get them out, although I had forgotten how 'loved' they were. Lucy is on to her second head, and they are both looking a little tatty. These were my favourite toys. Mum stitched all their outfits and Lucy even has some shoes and teeny knitted slippers! I'm so glad I saved them, and that Keira loves them too.

Here is a recipe (and I use that term loosely!) for vege soup using anything you have left over in the fridge at the end of the week! You know, those tired looking veges! The base is just onion/potato.

Tired Soup
1 onion
2 potatoes or kumara

Chop onion and fry off in a saucepan until clear.
Add chopped potoatoes/kumara and saute for a short time.
Add enough water (or stock if you want) to cover the veges.
Then basically add whatever you have in the fridge!
For this pot, I added:
1/4 of a sad looking cauliflower
big wedge of forgotten pumpkin
3 feeble golden kumara
leftover 1/4 tin of creamed corn

Simmer for 20-30 mins until all veges are soft.
Season to taste!
(Add milk if you want cream-of-tired-soup)
Blend or whizz or whatever - I just mashed mine with potato masher.

Bag Lady

2008-05-13T18:29:00.005+12:00

I am a self confessed bag lady. I love bags. Although I have to say I am glad to be rid of the nappy bag... wasn't such a fave.
Remember duffle bags? Army bags? Neon satchels from the 70's for school?

I was lucky enough to be sent this lovely from my friend Melissa at Tiny Happy (yes I know it needs ironing, but I don't do ironing...)
And I also got this one a few weeks ago from Anknel and Burblets (got to love that pink spider):

All very useful in the pursuit of less plastic bag usage.
And on this beautiful Autumn day, Keira remembered a bit of our summer holidays, by sorting seashells in a seed tray.

Happy day...

2008-05-11T16:54:00.010+12:00

...to my Mum. Who is currently on a painting trip in Greece and Italy. Thanks for being such a super cool Mum and Nana x

I've had a nice day too. We only do handmade gestures on Mothers/Fathers day. B and his helpers made me pancakes for breakfast. K made me this card at Kindy,

and picked me dandelions and buttercups and also punched out these hearts for me.

I made the Heidi Headband from Amy Karols Bend the Rules Sewing book,

And Keira did some more creating,

Glitter Pony

Pink House

Fairy with glittery wand

Remembering my Grandma, Lily May - who would have turned 90 today.

Autumn Craft

2008-05-10T21:57:00.001+12:00

Perfect day for Keira and her friend to make simple leaf collages.

Olive

2008-05-06T14:07:00.005+12:00

Rosa the cat has a new friend... Olive all the way from Wellington! Isn't she cute.
Thanks Louise at Twenty Cent Mixture for the giveaway! I love the fabrics you used, and the lovely card too.
Now I just need to finish that dog...

Rosa the cat

2008-04-28T16:00:00.002+12:00

According to K, this cat needs to be named Rosa.
My first attempt at making a softie. She looks a bit like she's directing traffic, don't you think?
Now C wants a dog :)

In the garden and from the kitchen

2008-04-26T12:12:00.006+12:00

Magnolia - smells divine.
I believe this is a dogwood (correct me if I'm wrong please..) tree? The fruit looks amazing, and the birds are loving it.

Red Lentil, Carrot and Kumara Soup:

1 large onion
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced red chilli
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
4 cups vege stock (I used chicken, but you could just use water if you wanted)
3/4 - 1 cup red lentils
2 medium carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 large kumara
salt and pepper

Chop onion and cook in oil for about 5 mins without browning. During this time, stirl in garlic, chilli, cumin and turmeric. The spices should smell fragrant, but should not burn.
Add the liquid and the lentils (more makes a thicker soup), and simmer, stirring now and again.
Cut the carrots and celery into small slices and the thinly peeled kumara into 1cm cubes.
Add them and cook gently with the lid tilted for 15-20 mins or until everything is tender.
Leave the soup chunky, or puree all or part of it.
(I blitzed it after this pic and it was lovely and thick...)
Enjoy!

Lest we forget

2008-04-25T09:00:00.003+12:00

This is a postcard my Great great uncle sent home from Egypt in 1916. He was wounded five times (including a bullet in the neck and again in the leg). He lived to be 89 years old. His son went off to World War II while he stayed home as a captain in the Home Guard. That boy - his eldest son, never came home. He was 22 and was killed in El Alamein. Twenty two.

My great grandfather was 40 when he was killed by 'friendly' fire at Passchendaele. His youngest son - my grandfather, was six months old.

Peace be with you on Anzac Day.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
-Ode of Remembrance

Kids art

2008-04-23T14:21:00.008+12:00

My girl loves to draw, paint, practice writing etc. I have pages and pages of her artwork that I squirrel away and save forever. I recently brought a laminator on special, so that I could laminate the drawings that she does on A4 paper, then book-ring them together. This way I can add to them whenever I like, and leave it out for her (or anyone) to look at!

Charlotte's Web

Princesses

Mermaids (and snow white on the flip-side)

And speaking of said artist - what do you do when your brother is asleep and your mummy is on the phone: Turn yourself into a cat...
Of course you do.

Holidays

2008-04-22T09:51:00.008+12:00

Well the first day of the school holidays was a beautiful, fresh autumn day! Perfect for getting out the paint and potato stencils! We went on a hunt through the garden to find leaves, flowers, grasses and twigs to dip into the paint and check out the patterns!

Perfect autumn evening, 6.15pm last night:Today is a bit gloomy, weather-wise. Keira has gone to see the 'Princess and the Pea' play put on by Phineas Phrog Productions with her aunty, so I'm sure that will be a fun morning!

Walls

2008-04-19T18:05:00.004+12:00

So it might be a while until we paint and renovate the walls of our 1950's palace, so in the meantime, I have tarted up the kids rooms with these rub on transfers from Hambly!

A bit hard to see, but looks quite funky in real life. There are a few more dotted around each room, and I'm quite pleased how they came out! Have also been painting wooden name letters for their walls, now I just need to hang them! Maybe tomorrow.

Experimenting

2008-04-16T15:05:00.005+12:00

Zippy pouches for the children. Cole likes to take cars and trains etc with him when we go out. This rocket pouch fits about five cars, but I think he may need more of a 'manbag'! Something that would fit books, but not a backpack. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm still looking! If anyone has any ideas, let me know!

Last summer a swing top:
Next summer a skirt:

Happy Wednesday!

New big boys room

2008-04-12T11:03:00.002+12:00

When we moved in to our new house, there was a small room big enough for a cot. So that is where Cole went. I had the big room for my office/craft space. The intention was always to swap this over when it was time for a big boys bed. So a few weeks ago, C got his new room:

Rimu bed, handmade by Pop.
Train pillowcase, sewn by Mumma.
Robot and ray gun wall art by John W Golden.
Toy storage from Ikea.

Feijoas

2008-04-04T15:30:00.006+13:00

This bag load of feijoa goodness came from a friend. Unfortunately at our new house we don't have a tree, and they are super expensive in the shop. Most people seem to know someone with a tree these days!! Here are some recipes if you have plenty of fruit that wants consuming!!

Feijoa and Ginger Cake

1 cup feijoa chopped
1 cup apple chopped
1 tsp baking soda
∏ cup boiling water
π-1/2 cup crystalised ginger
Mix together and let cool

In a separate bowl, cream
125g butter
1 cup sugar

Then add
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
11/2 cups flour
Fold feijoa mixture through. Put in 20cm tin. Bake 180oC
for 40 minutes until golden. Then put topping mix onto cake
and bake further 10-20 minutes (until golden and bubbling).

Topping:
50 g melted butter
∏ cup brown sugar
π tsp ginger
1 cup thread coconut
2 TBS milk

Feijoa and Walnut Cake

100g butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ginger
1 cup chopped feijoas
1 cup walnuts (or mix of nuts), chopped
1 cup sultanas (or fruit mix is nice too)

A friend who gave me recipe literally throws all the
ingredients together. I sifted the dry ingred, and also
added 1/4 cup milk (or you could add another egg), as I
thought the mixture was too dry.

Bake 180oC for 45min to 1 hour.

It looks like the birds have given the caterpillars a second chance. I counted 27 caterpillars on our swan plant, so hopefully the weather won't get too cold before they get a chance to turn into chrysalis'. I think the birds have lost interest in this part of the garden as the tomatoes are almost finished. Which is good...because it would have been time to make a scarecrow otherwise!

Sky

2008-04-03T07:33:00.005+13:00

I am preoccupied with sky gazing at the moment. I love the fluffy clouds just above the roof line, then the weird light of the sun that seemed to come out of a blanket of black cloud. It was so still and calm it almost felt like earthquake weather. Thankfully not.

Seasons

2008-03-26T14:00:00.005+13:00

Goodbye summer and skies like these..Hello Autumn.

Lake Taupo at Easter

Seven things

2008-02-16T21:26:00.003+13:00

I was tagged by Florence, so here are my things...

1. I cannot eat: lychees, avocado, parsnip or dark chocolate. Blech.com.

2. I love genealogy. I am fascinated about where I came from and what my ancestors did to get through the day. And I'm grateful they did so.

3. I love to craft. A bit of a serial crafter – I will give most things a go. And you know, it's okay that I have canvases, paint, fabric, albums, flower presses, paper making devices (lol) languishing in the cupboard. Thankfully Miss 4 would do arts and crafts all day if I let her. Which I easily can.

4. I am not a fan of cooking or baking. I try, but am still not convinced.

5. I hate surpises.

6. I like to make lists. And file stuff. And sort stuff. By colour. Or style. Hmmmm...

7. I can eat: feta cheese, beetroot, caperberries, tomatoes and marshmellow easter eggs.

Tomato sauce and strange clouds

2008-02-09T17:59:00.000+13:00

Here is the recipe we used for the homemade pasta sauce:

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (we just used bulk - fresh from the vine)
2 cups water
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3 leaves fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute onions in the oil until golden brown. Add crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let the sauce come to a boil, lower heat to low and stir occasionally until desired thickness. Sauce is ready when oil rises to the top. Skim off oil.
(We used half one night with our pasta dinner and froze the other half for another day).

And just before sunset the other night, this cloud was lurking near our house. Brett captured the amazing light (and plane!)

Signs of Summer

2008-02-07T07:58:00.000+13:00

Yesterday we made pasta sauce from all the tomatoes in our garden, which turned out really well. The weather has been so good, the sunflowers are really taking off. Although they look a bit funny as they are all pointing their sunny faces in different directions! Too much full sun all day on that fence I think!The poor monarchs keep laying eggs, but unfortunately the greedy birds keep getting the caterpillars before they have had a chance to evolve into a chrysalis. Which is a shame for the kids. And I guess the caterpillars.

We have summer colds in our house, which is a bit of a rip off!
I've been tagged by Florence, so will work on posting that soon. Happy Thursday!

My little Picasso..

2008-02-01T11:10:00.000+13:00

..bless him. One minute playing happily with a big piece of cardboard... the next:

At least it wasn't on the wall. Or on my fabric. And FYI - nailpolish remover works well to get permanent red vivid off sewing machines and little hands.

Paper Art

2008-01-29T16:55:00.000+13:00

Amazing paper art... a contest held by the Hirshhorn Modern Art Gallery. The rule was that the artist could only use one piece of paper.

Keira started morning kindy today, so that is a big change for us. All good though, she was so ready! Fun stuff ahead!

Beach love

2008-01-27T17:46:00.001+13:00

Oh how I love a getaway to the beach. This anniversary weekend it was Mangawhai Heads. A weekend of swimming, beach-combing, shell collecting, boat watching, bbqing and lovely family time.

View from sister in laws beach house:

Canna lily and flax flowers:

Lone yacht beyond the heads:

The great thing about Mangawhai is it has a fab surf beach, but also a very safe tidal estuary which is perfect for mermaid and dam-building pre-schoolers :) Hurray for summer.

Thankful and a mission

2008-01-22T16:20:00.000+13:00

Today I had a friends children over to play. This friend has just endured the worst family tragedy you could imagine. Just awful...so today I'm extra thankful for my little family and our content little life, and that we are safe and well. It was nice to be able to help her out and mind the children for a few hours. Quite timely with Trina's 'pay it forward' post.

And my mission on the weekend, was to catch up on some pages for the children's books and to do so in a timely manner (not my usual faffing about) and to use up some supplies I already have (before buying more that I simply just 'need').

Happy Tuesday to you and yours.

Handmade cards

2008-01-13T12:43:00.000+13:00

I've loaded some cards on to etsy, just for fun. I really enjoyed making them, and might dabble in a couple of sewing projects next... who knows! New year, new excuses to try something different!
To find fulfilment, don't exist with life - embrace it.
Jim Beggs

Finished project and two beaches in one day..

2008-01-04T09:54:00.002+13:00

Waaay back in June last year, I went to Nic's house to spend the day with a bunch of scrappy friends. Nic organised a little project for us to do, which is this mini album - I've finally finished!! It has a group photo of us all and individual photos of me and the ladies. I'm using it as a sort of a birthday/special things about each person reminder book!!
Yesterday we met some friends at the beach in Mission Bay for a catch up in the morning. It was beautiful weather, perfect for collecting shells and having a splash.

View from Mission Bay over to Devonport

Later in the afternoon after C had a sleep we went and caught up with more friends at Cheltenham Beach on the shore. So lovely over there, sitting on the grass under the pohutukawas, K even had a go at paddling... Back to their house in Devonport for a BBQ and home with two sleepy kiddos! Fab day.

Todays project...

2008-01-02T17:29:00.001+13:00

A kindy book for Keira. Although she has a portfolio that they assemble throughout the year, I have been trying to sort out what to do with all Keira's artwork and photos of important stuff. I literally have a folio of almost 100 paintings already from her first year! I decided to take photos of the special things that were a bit 'bulky' (like woodworking).
It is definately a work in progress, but because it is held together with book rings, I can open it any time and add extra artwork, photos, stories etc. The front and back covers are stiff board covered in her paintings, and I have included clear files for photos and random creations along the way.
I'm really happy with how it's turned out and of course my little artist loves to look at it and explain it all to her brother!

Happy 2008

2008-01-01T13:56:00.000+13:00

Let the crafting begin! I found these cute little suitcases at Kmart for about $2. I thought they'd make a lovely keepsake to hold a mini album I'm making for my nephew:

I also got two of the larger size suitcases for K & C - to hold their Christmas cards from Santa and also their Christmas decorations. Speaking of decorations, they got given these lovely Caroline Mitchell ones from a friend. I love how New Zealandy they are...
We have been to the farm this morning. The pohutukawas are looking lovely at this time of year - a beautiful shot of colour in the landscape. It is such a beautiful day, I think we'll fill the pool later...

Garden visitor

2007-12-21T15:28:00.001+13:00

We planted two different varieties of swan plant in the garden for the children and the monarchs have already laid plenty of eggs! An exciting summer of nature watching ahead.

Out of the mouths of babes...

2007-12-19T08:52:00.000+13:00

'Mumma, is that Grandad Brian's driveway?'
(my dad passed away 8 years ago)
'But where are the cars?'

Christmas goodies

2007-12-16T17:01:00.000+13:00

A couple of recipes, this one for Andrea:

Holiday Fudge
Ingredients:
Makes 24 two-inch pieces
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
Directions:
1. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with two strips of waxed or parchment paper (one lengthwise, one crosswise) so ends overhang sides of pan; coat evenly with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Put sugar, salt, butter, cream, and marshmallows in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until butter and marshmallows are almost melted, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Bring mixture to a boil; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and vanilla; stir until chips are melted. Pour mixture into lined pan.
4. Let fudge cool in the pan at room temperature 3 hours. Use edges of paper to lift out fudge; place on cutting board, and remove paper. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters, and top with crushed mints.

Cranberry and Pistachio White Chocolate
800g white chocolate, chopped
2 cups desiccated coconut
1 cup shelled pistachio nuts
1 cup dried cranberries

Place the chocolate in a large heat proof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water for 3-4 minutes or until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Remove from heat, add the coconut, pistachios and cranberries and stir well to combine.
Spoon the mixture into a 20 x 30cm lined slice tin and smooth over with the back of a spoon.
Refrigerate for one hour or until set.
Remove chocolate from tin, and cut into cubes or rounds with a cookie cutter.

Little helper

2007-12-14T07:45:00.000+13:00

Keira and I made some 'White Christmas' the other day which turned out great and has all been gifted away, so time to make some more. Also on the agenda is 'Cranberry and Pistachio White Chocolate' and 'Christmas Fudge'! Will post some recipes if anyone is interested.

Our small fibre optic tree on the table. The kids love how the lights change randomly. Nice to have this as an extra one.

Completed

2007-12-08T14:29:00.001+13:00

Last Christmas we went to Melbourne to catch up with family. I wanted to make a mini book for the kids, and it's only taken me all year, but I was determined to finish it before this Christmas!

So yay for crossing one project off the list. I am in the finishing-un-completed-mini-book-zone I will move on to the next one! Happy Saturday!

Silly season

2007-12-07T16:14:00.001+13:00

If you haven't already 'Elfed-Yourself' or your family, you really should. The kids love it!

Rain and a movie

2007-12-06T07:47:00.000+13:00

After some warm days...it's raining today. And don't the courgette and tomato plants love it! My only fear is that they'll fruit while we are away in Hawkes Bay over Christmas. I guess the neighbours will be having some fresh vege!

I went to a fundraiser preview of 'The Jane Austen Book Club' last night. A good light hearted chick flick I guess you would say!

Off to a two year old's party this morning (yes I thought it was over!) So the kids will be all over that!

Handmade

2007-11-27T14:28:00.000+13:00

It was really nice when looking through Keira's birthday gifts to see something handmade. A friends mother made this lovely book/activity bag for her. It is beautifully made and handy to take out and about.
And this was an activity we did for their party. 19 kids + rainy day = sit-down-and-do-a-crafty-thing-while-the-rest-of-the-guests-arrive! I made up little baggies of stickers, ribbon and foam alphas for each child and they decorated their own party hats while everyone was arriving. I also covered the party table with a roll of white paper and laid out crayons for them to draw straight on the table!
Maybe next year we will get a sunny day!

The end...

2007-11-22T08:27:00.000+13:00

...of the party season. Seven little people's parties in three weeks. We're tired. My two had a great day for their combined party. Castle cake for K and Thomas for C. Shame about the rain, but the 19 pre-school guests were very well behaved! So thats it for another year! Phew!

Non poxy chickens

2007-08-30T14:19:00.000+12:00

So we decided to take our Chickenpox to the Farm. Cabin fever has been setting in over the last few days so today we had a nice visit to Ambury farm. There was nobody there, just us, the chickens, baby lambs, goat, piglets, horse, cows and the biggest turkey I think I have ever seen! Would feed a small village come Christmas.

So nice to be able to drive 15 minutes from home and be 'on the farm'. The kids loved it and ran around chasing ducks like they were pleased to be out of the contamination house! It really does make you thankful you didn't live a hundred years when you think of the childhood diseases that kids never recovered from. Both kids asleep now - nuff said.

I have been slowly unpacking crafty boxes which I am pleased about. Although I can't find the pedal for my sewing machine. How annoying is that!! And I'm missing some fabric too... I'm sure it will turn up in some random box that I don't want to open named 'kitchen crap' or something similar!

Things to do...

2007-08-25T17:29:00.001+12:00

...when house-bound with a child with Chicken Pox.

Birdwatching from the lounge (Mr Yellowhammer):
Snuggle on the couch with quilt and DVD's:Line up random animals for a meeting:
Make a lop-sided vanilla cake (then decide to cut the wobbly top off...hmmm. Proceed to smother in must be pink icing and a flowery marshmallow/jellybean disguise) Looks sad but tasted nice:

So poor Miss K has the pox. Seems to be coping quite well so far, but is a very tired girl. Just waiting for the wee lad to get it now. So we are housebound for a while. Need to pop out and stock up on things for the craft cupboard me thinks!

Home and Away again

2007-07-30T12:32:00.001+12:00

It is so nice to be settled in our new home. Ok so we still have loads of boxes everywhere, but it feels like home. Which I love! The kids settled in immediately, so that was a bonus too.

The weekend just gone I went on a girls weekend to Waiheke Island which was fab! 10 of us went and it really was great to get away. Even though it's winter, the weather on the Saturday was so beautiful. It packed up on Sunday (just in time for the ferry ride....ughh...I don't really do boats..)
Will definately be going back in the summer, it was so relaxing.

Curried Chicken Chowder

2007-07-09T16:24:00.001+12:00

Winter day goodness.

Curried Chicken Chowder
serves 4
500 g chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon curry powder (mild)
1/2 buttercup (or 1/4 pumpkin) peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
220g kumara, peeled and chopped
220g potato, peeled and chopped
4 stalks of silverbeet or spinach (or bok choy) sliced thinly
1 teaspoon vegetable and chicken stock powder
5 cups water
Pepper and salt to taste

Heat oil in a large pot and saute chicken until lightly golden
Add onion and curry powder - cook for 2 minutes
Add vegetables and stirfry for a couple of minutes
Mix together the vegetable and chicken stock with water
Add to pot and bring to boil
Simmer for approx 1 hour. Lightly mash or pulse in the food pro.

Enjoy!

To infinity and beyond...

2007-07-06T07:29:00.000+12:00

$1.99 at the Warehouse, I say you can't go wrong...although the Woody one looks a tad freaky!
Had a wonderful day on Saturday down at Nic's house with 10 other fab crafty ladies! Lots of laughs, chocolate, singing and of course creating!!

Not much creating going on here at the moment. The house is filling slowly with boxes and it is only two weeks today til we move. Can't wait. Bring on that big backyard. Bring on a crafty nook just for me. Bring on no shared driveway :D

A few people have mentioned they couldn't comment on my blog, so I think I've fixed that now. Keep dry, it looks like another naaaaasty day.

I {heart} my postie

2007-06-27T10:51:00.000+12:00

My lovely postie just rode his bike down my driveway and hand delivered this parcel of goodness:
Thanks so much Bernadette for the lovely vintage toy making book, some fantastic softies to make. And of course the beautiful gocco print from Sugarloop. So lovely, now to find the right frame!!!

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

2007-06-26T13:46:00.000+12:00

So the lovely lemons were begging to be consumed (and no Cole, you can't bite into them like an apple!! eek!!) You need to try this recipe, it is so easy - you just throw all the ingredients into the food processor.

Lemon Yoghurt Cake
2 eggs
1 cup oil - use canola or olive oil (dont use extra virgin or lite brands as you can taste them in cake)
1 cup yoghurt - use natural unsweetened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 cup self raising flour
3 tablespoon lemon juice (I use a bit more for more lemon taste)
rind of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp salt

Process liquids and sugar, add flour and process until mixed in food mixer (I actually just put everything in in the order of the recipe and blitzed it up! Turned out fine!!!)
Bake in ring tin at 180 for about 30 minutes (mine was in for more like 45mins, guess it depends on your oven - test with a skewer).
Enjoy!

Somebody stop me...

2007-06-22T15:38:00.001+12:00

Another book with some cute projects in it. I think I need to start doing some actual creating ha! My kids will be too old for toys by the time I get around to it!! Watch.this.space.

Home Grown Goodness

2007-06-18T08:35:00.001+12:00

B's parents arrived up yesterday with these goodies from their garden/orchard. So yummy! I will have to get the pumpkin soup on and find some delicious lemony recipes too! The kids will demolish the braeburns, so no worries there! Love home grown produce.

Another craft book and Monkey bread...

2007-06-15T16:18:00.001+12:00

Another good post day! Some great inspiration in this magazine:

And Keira and I made Monkey Bread (banana and sultana loaf)...not too close now Monkey and I hope you washed your hands...

It looks a bit over cooked on the outside but my oven is doing weirdo things (must know we are moving, lol). Tasty though!!

Japanese Crafty Goodness...

2007-06-14T14:10:00.000+12:00

Check out this cute Japanese craft book. I got it the mail the other day and intend to make some cute toys for the kids... Watch this space! I also got my hands on some cool vintage train fabric, so will make some cushions and pillowcases for Cole when he moves into his big boy bed!

Mini Album | 4 x 12

2007-06-13T21:03:00.001+12:00

This crafty little 4 x 12" mini album was inspired by Shimelle. Basically you cut a 12x12 sheet of paper into three, add a 6x4 photo, embellish with ribbon, stickers, tags, fabric - whatever you have really! Then link it with some rings and there you have it! Quick easy project.
I made this little book for Keira with some pics of her and her little friends :)