Women for Women

I couldn't wait for New Year to start my first New Year's resolution of 'giving' more.  I set up my sponsorship of a women with women for women this morning.  I have been wanting to do something to help women for a while now, after all women are very important in families and it can be very difficult for them.  I have always realised how lucky I am to come from the UK where I had a good free education and was able to easily go to University and the fact that I was female didn't have any bearing on my life or ambitions.  I had my children and could continue my work easily - because I wanted to, not out of absolute desperate necessity.

I have heard and read about some good things from this charity.  They don't just give aid, they help with education, training and setting up small businesses so that the women can regain their dignity and rebuild their lives.  I'll post more blogs when I have details of the women that I will sponsor.

100th Birthday Cake - Finished

 Here's the finished two tier cake

And a closer picture of the top tier, complete with ribbons and roses.

Bon Noel

 We put up our Christmas decorations at the weekend, and I thought I would show you a few of my favourites.  These two NOEL's were made by the children when they were very small.  We spent a happy afternoon, me doing the cutting (as they were only 2 and 5) and them sticking the bits together.

About the same time I was doing quite a bit of glass painting and I painted these jars as Christmas lanterns to hold tea lights.

Icing Tier 1

 With just under a week to go 'til the big party, I had to ice Tier 1 (fruit) of the cake otherwise I simply won't have time to do everything this week.  It's not ideal as I fear the cake will dry out too much but it's the way it has to be.

After searching widely for pictures of birthday cakes on the Internet, I looked into a book I have and was inspired to create this.  It's also very fitting as my nan actually gave me the book about 14 years ago when I first started making birthday cakes for my children.  (It's very nostalgic looking back through it to see which cakes I have tried to create versions of over the years...)

 Enough nostalgia and back to the cake.  Daughter thought lilac would be a good colour my nan's cake.  Lot's of the cakes on the Internet were pink, but I do agree that lilac or peach are better colour's for my nan. So lilac was the main colour for the icing on the first tier and the edge of the board is covered with lilac ribbon.  Then I created drapes round each corner out of semi-circles of white rolling icing and made roses out of the same rolling icing.  I'm not very good at piping icing but I am quite reasonable at modelling! For an added special touch I had bought some edible glitter and dipped each rose in that before attaching to the cake

This picture shows how the cake pillars will fit onto the large circle on the top of the cake, with the Chocolate cake (Tier 2) on top. 

Ruffle Dress

 Despite having a really bad cold this week I finally managed to finish the ruffle dress.  It needs a good press but that's all.  The picture doesn't do it justice as it is simply stunning and very flattering when on.  It's very fitted but the ruffle front manages to disguise any less than perfect bits!!

 Here's the pattern, I made version A at  the top of the picture.  You can see from the pattern pieces what a strange shape the front piece is - all curved round at the top so that when it is gathered it pulls it into a normal shape.

 When the two front sections are gathered they are sewn together wrong sides together to form the ruffle down the front.  To hold the gathers in place a tape is sewn on the inside of the dress.  I didn't have any red tape, but as its on the inside I used this grey that I had.  It's on the inside and no one will ever know.

 The sleeves are also fitted and have a zip inserted into a dart.  This means that the sleeve can be quite tight and also shapes the sleeve.

The dress is knee length and has a 'walking slit'.  I finished off the seams by hand as it's much neater on a special item.

Finally, I was unable to get a zip quite long enough in my local shop so I got the longest I could and didn't insert in into the collar as the pattern stated.  Instead I added three little covered buttons and button loops, it works a treat and actually makes a feature at the back of the dress. 

Pop-up Birthday Card

 Here's the special pop-up birthday card that I have made for my nan.

 I stamped and coloured the base picture and then cut a circle of card into a spiral.  I attached one end of the spiral to each side of the card and then stuck on some cut out flowers and butterflies.

I cut a smaller circle of card into another spiral and attached one end to the bottom of the card to make a spring.  I attached more stamped and coloured flowers and butterflies to the spring and then a few more to the back of the card.

I've never made a pop-up card before and I'm really pleased with how well it turned out and how easy it was.  

Cake continues

 Slowly but surely the special occasion cake is making progress.  Daughter made the round chocolate top tier yesterday.  I've wrapped it up carefully and put it in the freezer ready to ice nearer to the day.  I've done this many times in the past with Birthday cakes and it does save a last minute panic.

And I put the marzipan on the bottom fruit cake layer.  After preparing the cake board by covering it with white ready roll icing.

Christmas Pudding Day

Sunday I finally made the Christmas pud.  I only make a small one each year as there's only my dad and mother-in-law that eat it.  I have a special recipe that I make each year which isn't quite traditional as it contains beer.

Here's the little beauty after it's been steamed ready to have fresh baking paper cap and be stored away ready for the big day.

Progress has been made on the ruffle dress, the collar is finished and completed with three small buttons to close it - just the hems to do now.  But I realised I need another top/dress for a work party, I have a lovely piece of satin that a work friend gave me for my birthday and this needs to be made into the work party outfit to show her how much I appreciated the gift.  The birthday cake needs to progress.  Daughter has promised to help me with making the chocolate cake and perhaps the icing, in return for me highlighting her hair.  At nearly 13, I think she is finally beginning to show some small signs of being a girl, although wearing a skirt is still very much out of the question.  But it could be worse, I could have a daughter who wants to wear very inappropriate outfits.  As well as this I have two sixth form open evenings to attend with son, not to mention getting the rest of the christmas shopping and wrapping up things that need to be distributed early, so apologies but blog posts will be a bit sporadic.

The ruffle dress begins

I've been busy stitching again.  This time it's a fabulous fitted dress with a ruffled front and zips fitted into the sleeves. It's made in this lovely burgundy cotton and I was a bit worried that the cotton would be too stiff for the ruffles, the pattern stated wool but I didn't have any.  It's to be worn to my nan's party, so with everything else happening I needed to get it started.  I've sewn the main seams and now it's waiting to be have the collar and seams hand finished - hopefully will be finished at the weekend.

Bake me a cake

Thanks for the comments to the last blog on cake recipes.  I asked at work as well as there is a fantastic lady who specialises in baking and icing cakes.  Every one seems to agree that the Delia Smith Christmas cake recipe is a good one.

Here's my version of it.  It seems to have come out well and I certainly hope it tastes good as it's going to be the bottom tier of the 100th birthday cake.  

I'm going to be amazingly busy for the next few weeks what with the cake and the preparation for Christmas. I've started on my dress for the party, which is a rather smart red day dress with a gathered and ruffled front, and next weekend I'm making the Christmas pud.  Then there's the chocolate top tier of the cake to bake and both cakes to ice by which time Christmas will be well and truly upon us.

Anyone have a good fruit cake recipe?

We have a VERY special family occasion coming up next month, not Christmas but my Nan's 100th birthday (I hardly dare mention it in case something bad happens) and I have been asked to make and ice two cakes for it.  A chocolate cake and a fruit cake.  Whilst I'm not an expert at cake making, I've made the kids loads of novelty birthday cakes over the years and I iced my brother's wedding cake. I have a well tried and tested chocolate cake recipe, which I have used lots for kids birthday cakes, but I don't have a well tested fruit cake recipe.  If anyone can point me in the direction of one I will be grateful.

There will be more on the progress of the cakes and other crafty bits associated with this event in the next few weeks.

We wish you a merry ......

No I'm not going to use that word, as I think November is way too early.  However I have a lot to fit into the next few weeks and before I know it that  time of year will be upon us.  So I am being organised this year and spent a happy afternoon creating cards form old wrapping paper and cards and some other bits in my card making stash.  There are about 28 in total which is a good start but I'll need a few more. 

Woolly Kimono

A few months ago in my Burda magazine there was a lovely kimono pattern, but I never got round to making it.

 In the pattern book it was made from lace with a satin lining but I didn't have lace or satin and quite frankly that didn't seem very warm with winter just round the corner.

 I did have a long piece of navy marl knitted fabric.  I got it as a bit of a mistake, I wanted a different fabric which I bought on the internet in a sale.  Then the seller told me there wasn't enough of my first choice fabric and so I chose another fabric to make up the quantity.  Then in the end, due to flaws in the fabric, I ended up with not enough of my chosen fabric and a huge quantity of the navy marl.  C'est la vie.

Then this weekend in my panic that I won't have enough warm clothes for winter, I realised that I could make the kimono.  So I set to work....

 and as the pattern was very simple I soon had another nice warm jacket cum cardi.

As it's not very warm in my house tonight, I'm wearing it right now.

More winter clothes need to be made soon.

Winter warmer

 Remember this wrap from the 6 September blog? (link)

I finally finished it earlier this week and I have been itching to put it on the blog but haven't been able to get any decent pictures in the evenings because of lack of light.

Here it is.  It's a bit skinnier than I wanted it to be so it can be worn as a wrap or a scarf.

 I love the texture of the bouclé yarn. 

and I did have enough yarn to make the long tassels.  I mixed the bouclé wool with some normal yarn from my stash so they are really long and full.

I'm beginning to feel that I might just about be ready for the coming winter cold. 

Happy Halloween

 It's that spooky time of year again and here's my small pumpkin lantern, to celebrate the occasion.

Here's this year's rather meagre selection of pumpkin's.  No where near as many as last year, but last year we had far too many.

I think I must be getting very old, because when I was a kid I'm sure there weren't any pumpkin's.  There certainly wasn't in our house.  If we were lucky mum would do swede for tea on Halloween and she would carefully scrape out the middle of the swede (which must have been really hard) and we made a lantern out of the swede.  We used to have fab Halloween parties as well where we all dressed up.  We had apple bobbing and then putting your face in flour to get sweets - without drying your face in between (very messy).  Trying to eat doughnuts hanging from string with your hands tied behind your back.  And a 'Dr. Dread', where someone set up covered bowls of stuff in the kitchen with names like 'intestines' when it was spagetti and we had to put our hands in and guess what it really was.   But this year it was just my one little pumpkin lantern.

Wind, Rain and some sunny intervals

I'm back from my long weekend away.  The weather could have been better, but a good time was had by all anyway.

The first day we went for a lovely sunny walk up the river Bovey.  The camera was still packed so we missed the best of the sunshine.

I love the sea and because we live so far inland, I always try to visit the coast whenever I am near.  On Sunday we went to Torquay we walked along the quay but nearly got blown away.  Even our sandwiches nearly blew away!

We retreated to Cockington, which is slightly inland and we looked round the crafts and exhibitions and walked the dog.  The wind was much less strong and we had a lovely day.

Monday it did nothing but rain.  This was a shame as we also had my niece with us that day.  But we donned boots and set off.  

 We needed an indoor visit so we went to Kent's Cavern which everyone from my mum to my 5 year old niece enjoyed - including a my hard to please 15 year old son.  (Sadly my choice of museums didn't meet with the approval of my children).

 On the way back we stopped near, but not too near, the sea front.  Son tried to take a picture of the waves, but spray and rain kept getting on the camera so they didn't come out well.

 By Tuesday we took the ever ready dog up to Hay Tor to blow away the cobweb's before our long drive home.

 The morning was quite sunny with just a few clouds rolling by.

We definitely had the best of the weather as the journey home was interspersed with showers some of which were very heavy and made the 4 hour drive rather difficult and tiring.  We made it home safely and didn't have too many delays.

Happy Day's

Yesterday we had a knitty lunch at work.  A group of us got together at lunchtime with our knitting and had a good knatter.  There was cake, but sadly it got eaten before I took the picture.

This is how my jacket will look

I did some more of my crochet jacket using the red Drops Eskimo wool that I bought at the Knitting and Stitching show.  Other people were knitting socks, a lacey scarf and crochet slippers.

crochet jacket in progress

When I got home I found that my new felting book had arrived

I was so inspired that I quickly whisked up a small sample of nuno felt.  I have plans for a much larger scale piece in the near future.

Then today I finally managed to get to the Post Office to pick up my parcel, and opened it to reveal these Beauties.

They are from Ren at Fairysteps (http://www.fairysteps.co.uk/) and I can thoroughly recommend her fantastic leather goods.  Superb quality, fabulous design and craft(wo)manship and totally unique. I have quite a few pairs of shoes and boots from her already and I wear them all the time, they are so comfortable and durable.  In fact I think they get better with age!

I'm feeling especially pleased with this pair as they go so well with my new bag.

I'm off to pack my bag now as I'm going to my mum's for a few days.