All posts filed under: Crafts

Writing with Es!

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E is for Eccles cakes, made with frozen puff pastry, I mean who makes puff pastry? Not me. I did make the mincemeat which I used to fill the Eccles cakes instead of the usual raisins. My only complaint is that I didn’t make them big enough! I am pleased I made mincemeat, followed a Delia Smith recipe and ta da, easy peasy squeeze a lemon. Two massive jars of mincemeat good stuff all ready for mince pies and I have a recipe for mincemeat cookies courtesy of Mr Jamie Oliver! It is going to be a sweet fruity fiesta!! E is also for eggs in a nest pendant I am currently making whilst trying not to poke out my eyes with the pingy wire which springs about as I make the nest! I think this is one of my favourites, the mother of pearl beads almost glow, lovely. E is for exhausted dog. Pablo the French bulldog of the house took a walk with me to make a jewelry delivery this morning and he …

November 2012 Photo A Day

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Day 1. Something beginning with C. Chrysanthemums in yellow. iPhone 4, Camera +. Day 2. Colour. Fire Hydrant on the way home from Target. Day 3. Breakfast. Loaf of bread, destined to be toast with Marmite. Day 4. TV. I did my first trail run this morning. Took this at the top of Castlewood State Park’s three hundred wooden steps. Day 5. 5 o clock Day 6. A favourite thing Day 7. Reflection Day 8. Something you do everyday Day 9. Small Day 10 Can’t (won’t live without) Day 11 Night Day 12 Drink Day 13 Where you slept Day 14 Man made Day 15 In Your Bag Day 16 The view from your window Day 17 Last thing you bought Day 18 Happened this weekend Day 19 Something awesome Day 20 Work/play Day 21 What you wore Day 22 Grateful Day 23 Black Day 24 A sound you heard Day 25 Sky Day 26 In the Cupboard Day 27 Tree Day 28 Vehicle Day 29 Big Day 30 On the wall

Kickboxing, zombie fighting, cookie baking ninja

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This morning I did my kickboxing/ninja/zombie defense class at the Y and I have to say, it totally flew by. I can’t believe how fast the time went. No doubt sore arms and legs tomorrow, but I love that!  Really, I do, I think it confirms I worked hard, I firmed up some wobbly bits  and now I can make and eat some cookies! Did someone say cookies? Look at what heavenly beast I found in Trader Joe’s this morning.  I only wonder why I didn’t buy a cart full. These should come with a stern warning along the lines of… ‘Do not open until you intend to bake with them. Not even just to try them. You will nibble and nibble and they will all be gone – forever. No cookies.’ They are so good straight out of the packet, forget fancy Christmas M&M’s, just get bags of these for everyone who needs sweets! Job done. You’re welcome. Leave some for me though. I just used all mine in cookies….and nibbling… I am going …

Eat curry, hunt treasure.

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This weekend was my birthday weekend as we wouldn’t all be here on my actual birthday to have cake and gasp at present opening! We went to House of India for a curry buffet extravaganza lunch. Bodhi ate his body weight in chicken Tikka Masala and I just wanted to eat the rice pudding, but tried to be an adult and had some actual food first. Onto Barnes and Noble to pick up a woefully old, Mollie Makes magazine,  out of date because it is a UK publication and I assume it takes ages for it to flap those magaziney pages over here. Not to worry though, there are no horoscopes to go out of date, no celeb gossip to age, just lovely crafty stuff for me to look at and plan to make. When I can knit and crochet effectively…..I can use a sewing machine and a needle and thread, so all is not lost!  I like the look of the itsy hedgehog on the cover, I can make him! After Indian lunch, we went off …

Woodland Tales – treasury on Etsy

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Acorns we found at Pere Marquette State Park, IL Here are some fabulous creatures from the wonderful world of Etsy. Treasury created by me at catseatdogs, including some of my favourite Etsy artists. ‘Woodland Tales’ by catseatdogs Wooden or woody lovelies. Perfect for walking in the woods, planning to walk in the woods or dreaming of walking in the woods. Gingerbread Lip Balm – One T… LongWinterSoap… $4.00 Hand Knit Hat Womens Hat – T… pixiebell $50.00 pink mushroom StephanieSersi… $35.00 Hearts – Bamboo Wood Earring… Cabin $12.00 Wooden Boho Necklace / Brown… BlueBirdLab $24.00 Handmade Knotted Bracelet Bl… yashmacreation… $20.00 Tree Love slouchy eco crewne… elSage $53.00 Women’s Infinity Scarf i… beautiefullthi… $30.00 Quietude LoreleiEurtoJe… $79.00 Glass Leaves Necklace villadesign $48.00 Rings. Modern Contemporary S… Epheriell $68.00 the beer soap collection goodcleansoaps $18.00 Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Beady Heart

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For the photo a day, today’s was ‘A Favourite Thing’. I took a picture of a beaded heart at its beginning. I love to make jewelry  and it is exciting when someone buys one of my pieces and then I see them wearing it! Today my making focus is all over the place. I am washing, putting pots away, making a coffee, checking Twitter… and on it goes. I do like the whole social media merry-go-round, but boy, sometimes I wonder whether I need to duct tape myself on or just leap off and hope I hit some soft grass. I don’t like to post the same darn thing on every site, because I think that is boring and apparently I like to make more work for myself.  So I flit about on my little iPhone,  posting a photo,  writing a short sentence on a short sentence site,  or messing about with photo finishes so that the aforementioned photo is an interesting one. Then I feel that I really should be making something, because hey, …

October 2012 Photo A Day

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Day 1. Where You Stood. Chilly out, wet footprints on a skateboard ramp destined for the tri city yard sale on Saturday. Day 2. Lunch. Miso soup with pot stickers. This is something I will often have for lunch, but I did plan a little bit around the daily photo for this one. Check the chopsticks! I ate the soup with a spoon…. Day3. This happened today. I went to Trader Joes for pumpkin bread ingredients and to Target for socks for Bodhi and parchment paper. Day 4. What you read. I have either read these today, am reading them or am going to read them for bedtime stories.  ‘Mary Poppins’ is our bedtime read. You ‘Wouldn’t Want to be a World War II Pilot’ was last nights read, it is quite informative! Day 5. Shadow. Drink anyone? I took this on the iPhone 4 camera, added 1962 in Camera Bag, then into Camera+ to add clarity and color dodge. Love playing with photo apps! Day 6. I’m thankful for.   Amazing yard sale finds …

Pumpkin carving debut

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Confession time. I have never carved a pumpkin… I may have done the face bit before, but never the whole top off, pumpkin guts out bit.  Out came the knives, I lopped off the top.  We scraped and pulled out the seeds and flesh.  Lots of pumpkin for soup here. The orange inside glows with bright, insides smell sweet and fresh and shout ‘I want to be soup’. It is hollow and sounds empty,  in need of it’s Halloween look. Once the soup ingredients have been scraped and persuaded out, squash four cloves of garlic, cook for a minute or two in oil, add pumpkin flesh, stir to introduce the garlic to the pumpkin. Add enough stock to cover and boil until the pumpkin is cooked.  Stir the juice and zest of a lemon.  Smell to taste. Blend until smooth and eat with the most amazing bread you can make or find. Out come the markers and the face is drawn on then sliced into shape.  Eyes and teeth pop out willingly.  Orange glows right out.

Spooky Haunted House craft for Halloween

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Second Grade Halloween party is coming up and I am going to have them make  haunted houses as the craft section of the party.  I still haven’t decided on the snack section, but I am sure there will be plenty of sugar and scary food colours! Want to make a spooky haunted house?  Here’s how. Spooky Haunted House ingredients tall juice or milk carton                                                                                                         construction paper or any paper you like                                                                                                         …

Sunny, rainy, windy Sunday

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I bought this hat yesterday for Bodhi and it makes me laugh everytime he puts it on, especially like this! We very happily managed to buy trousers which reach ankles too. So I am feeling a little more prepared for the Autumn and winter now! Of course the boys have no winter boots yet, but as they are virtually growing before my eyes, I am holding out. I decided I need to make Millionaire Shortbread today which is a complete faff. Nothing difficult about it, but lots of ‘make and cool’ stages, and lots of stirring hot fudgey-ness.   Worth it though! I will now have to freeze it, hide it or tie my hands behind my back to stop myself eating the darn lot! Don’t underestimate, I really could eat the lot! I could, but, I won’t.  Might. I also make this today, not the pumpkin, the bracelet. Another catseatdogs wrap bracelet/necklace/anklet. I feel I should invent a new jewelry name for them…brecklet?….anklacelet? (worth mentioning here that auto correct thought I wanted to write ‘ankle …