Moving on

I am such a fickle moo, so I've upped sticks over to Wordpress - you can now find me here

Mwah!

hey everybody!

I am still here and crafting, I'm just having some computer related issues! My connection in the flat isn't fast enough to make uploading pictures here practical and the last 2 nights I've tried to do it in work the intarwebz have not been on my side! Hopefully I will get some stuff up soon. I'm kinda frustrated at the moment because I am deeply skint and can't really afford to buy any craft materials but I keep having lots of ideas. Hopefully once I get paid I can remedy this!

Making it by hand and paying it forward

I know various people are aiming for 50 handmade things in 2009 and never one to miss a bandwagon, I'm going to give this a bash too! In a bid to make me try some new things, I'm only going to list the things I've tried for the first time ( some of my baking I can do standing on head so I don't think that's much of a challenge. Some of the things listed have been blogged about here and some others I don't have photos of, so you'll have to trust me a wee bit :)

1 Rachel Allen's Honey Buns

2 Rachel Allen's Butter free sponge

3 Journal jar - this was a present for Vonnie, she can back me up!

4 Blue bead necklace for Mum

5 Heart necklace for Eileen (I do have a pic of this somewhere)

6 Earrings for Step-mere

7 Fifteens

8 Knitted java jacket

9 Lavender bags

10 Rachel Allen's Lemon Cupcakes (there's a pic of those somewhere on the right hand side here)

Not a bad start for April and I'm sure there's other stuff I've forgotten! 

In the meantime, I've also given into the craze that is Pay it Forward - I've signed up on Beaky's blog (more info on PIF here) so 3 people who leave a comment will get something handmade from me - the condition being you need to do a 'Pay it Forward' yourself. I don't know if 3 people actually read this apart from me, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Adding a little style to Starbucks

I am very much inspired by the various blogs I've found devoted to all things craft related, though most of the projects make me think 'I could never do that'. However while perusing the lovely site of Meridian Ariel I found her tutorial for a Knitted Java Jacket. Very simple, you can see for yourself here and I decided to decorate it with some fabulous buttons from Incy Wincy Stitches - if you aren't familiar with her, check it out here. I of course now realise that Apryl did exactly the same thing!

The first attempt has been given to a colleague as a thank-you for lending me her sewing machine - I suspect this will give rise to many blog posts as I get to grips with it - while the second is going to my lovely friend Lucy.

Cup 1 - complete with cup button.

Cup 2 - with a little owlish knowledge!

Cheeky owl close up!

A big thank you to Incy Wincy for my buttons and Meridian Ariel for coming up with the idea in the first place - I only hope I can do the same for other bloggers some day!

Coming soon, to a blog near you...

Pictures of what I've been up to recently. However, I'm currently at home and it takes forever to upload photos on my mobile broadband connection here, so I'll be bringing the Mac into work and hi-jacking the connection there.

However I just wanted to say I finally got to go to the Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater shops in Edinburgh. EB was pretty snazzy but I was SO happy in CK I didn't want to leave! God help me, it would be very easy to spend a fortune in there! More tomorrow peeps, just checking in with y'all.

We apologise for this break in service

Hello all! It's been a while since I last spoke to you all - for those of you that don't know me well, I'm a  journalist in Aberdeen, so last week's events understandably got in the way. However I have still been pottering in a crafty fashion, so without further ado.....

Nigella's Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

This was part of my Time for Tea swap and it's a doddle to make! You simply melt down 350g of good dark chocolate (70% ideally) with some butter, add a tin of condensed milk, 100g of bashed up pistachios (get the shelled ones please, I didn't the first time and it took forever!) smooth into a foil roasting tin and chill until set, then cut up into small pieces.

Next, I proudly present Fifteens! These are a Northern Ireland thing as far as I know - certainly one mouthful sends me straight back in time. You need 15 digestive biscuits, 15 marshmallows, 15 glace cherries, a tin of condensed milk and some dessicated coconut. I changed things slightly, swapping cranberries for cherries (which I don't like) and used mini marshmallows as that's what I had in the house. However in the usual run of things you chop up the cherries and marshmallows, add these to the crushed biscuits and use the condensed milk to bind the mixture together. You won't need an entire tin - I really judge by eye once the whole mixture has come together. Then you place it on a clean surface - spread with coconut - and shape it into a log. Wrap it in clingfilm, chill in the fridge and cut into slices when set.

These are not the neatest example - it's been so long since I made them I forgot a few of the steps. Still taste fab though!

I have also been up to another project - using inspiration from two of the blogs I read - and I am incredibly excited as a friend is going to lend me her sewing machine so I can play about with it and see if I want one of my own!!!!

More tea vicar?

Well, here we are once again. I'm baking in the heat of Starbucks on a beautiful day in Aberdeen! The disadvantage of starting work at 5am is never knowing what the weather will be like so usually over dressing. This is the case today. However, I have been paid and i am basking in the glow of a successful swap! The lovely Vonnie came up with the Time for Tea swap and paired me with Pennie. My parcels arrived on Friday and Monday so the treat was spread out! We've got Yorkshire Leaf Tea, little silver beads and the most fabulous tea set ever!

A little close up of the cup and saucer.

And then Monday's treasures arrived. Funky origami paper, a tea strainer to use for my leaf tea and Twinings tea bags, which have already been put to their proper use.

If you want to see what Pennie got from me, you'd best head over to her blog. Suffice to say, the e-mail i got entitled woooooohooooooo leads me to believe she's happy with it!