The Quick Unpick

The Yummiest Little Uglies... Rustic Date & Walnut Scones

2012-03-04T23:24:00.000+11:00

You're Mumma probably told you, "Never judge a book by it's cover"

Well, today I give you the yummiest little uglies: Rustic Date and Walnut Scones . . . don't hate them because they're ugly.

They taste DE-LisH-Ous!

They are super easy and quick to make . . . under 30 minutes, from start to finish . . . from idea or craving to afternoon tea!

They are a bit of a throw together combo of a base recipe my Mum gave me years ago, some of my favourite sweet ingredients and a craving for home baked afternoon tea today.

Rustic Date & Walnut Scones

Ingredients

Scone Base

3 cups Self Raising Flour

1 Tbs Castor Sugar

80g Butter

250ml Milk

Fillling

100g Walnuts

100g Dates

100g Sugar

60g Butter
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nugmeg

Method

Make filling first by processing dates and walnut in food processor until evenly mixed and blended.

In heavy based pot melt butter and mix in sugar until dissolved. Be mindful not to burn butter.

Then stir in the dates and walnuts and set aside to cool slightly whilst baking scone base.

In a bowl combine flour and sugar. Add in softened butter and rub together till like fine breadcrumbs. *The quickest easiest way to do this is with a pastry blender tool but if you don't have one you can achieve the same using a balloon egg whisk.

Add ALL the milk at once and use a knife to cut it in (basically use knife in place of spoon - this is to help avoid over kneading and mixing which will make your mix cook tough and heavy rather than light and fluffy)

Once just combined tip out onto lightly floured surface and knead LIGHTLY (only 4 -5 times - remember light and fluffy!)

Using your hands and the heel of your palm flatten the dough out into two rectangles about 1cm thick . . . don't worry about getting it perfect - in shape or thickness - this recipe is called 'rustic' for a reason . . . we're not going for pretty here.

Spread slightly cooled filling evenly over flattened dough - just leave about 2cm along one long edge that will be the outside of your roll.

Roll up to form two long rolls and then using a sharp knife slice into rolls approximately 1 -2 cms thick.

Lay rolls about 1cm apart on lightly greased tray and bake at 200c for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool on cooling rack.

ENJOY... Just the right crunch on the outside . . . super fluffy and light on the inside . . . with yummy, yummy hits of sweet buttery, walnut and date goodness!

I have to admit, even I thought, "UUUUG-LY!" as these came out of the oven . . . but they smelt divine and please take my word for it - bake up some of these Date & Walnut Rustic Scones.

And if you can't handle the sweetness, don't like dates, or walnuts aren't your thing . . . the base recipe makes the most delicious and easy scones - perfect for jam & cream . . . simply roll out to about 2-3 cms thick and use a scone cutter to cut and bake as for the scone scrolls!

Happy Days ☺

All in pieces

2012-03-04T01:12:00.001+11:00

Seriously . . .

Are you a one project person, start to finish?

Or do you start one, then another, then another and have a few on the go at a time?

Me? I'm the latter. . . I start one project then intersperse it with the beginnings of others. . . sometimes this leads to distraction and in-completion. . . other times it just works!

A few weeks back I made these gorgeous dollies for my two little princesses. . .

Let me introduce you to Big Little Miss M's new BFF, Jemima (what can I say - the girl loves her some playschool)

This next one is Little Little Miss M's new bubba. . . Abbey - not sure where or what inspired the name but she was adamant right from the beginning that her dolly would be called Abbey, and she has not wavered on it since - which is a little special in the ever changing world of a 2 and a half year old!

Yes, the Japanese project is underway. . .

but I thought I'd just give you a peek at another little project I'm also working on.

I began cutting another two dolls. . .

when Little Little Miss M wanders in, enquires as to my makings and then promptly put in a special request.... so one of these 'all in pieces' dolls is going to be a little extra special!

Three more Bit of Whimsy dolls. . . One a custom order. . . one to find a new home when completed and one a special order by Little Little Miss M..

Can you guess what she wanted? I was a little surprised by the request but I'll let you know what it was in due course. . . ooh the mystery. . . the suspense. . . lol, it must be late and yes I do need to get some more sleep!

xoxo

Be back soon with a first glimpse of the 'Japanese Project'

☺

My first Japanese pattern book ...LOVE ♥

2012-03-03T00:22:00.000+11:00

I'd been hanging by the letter box, day after day, from about 7 days after I ordered this gorgeous book...

Three and a half weeks later it arrived and I fell in instant love/lust with all it's gorgeous glossy pics of adorable girls wearing super simplistic styles whilst looking fabulously stylish (yes, I am gushing).

Yes, the book is in Japanese (save for a few titles) and no, I do not speak, read or understand Japanese... but everything I'd read on other lovely blogs raving about these books and the need to not be able to read the instructions inspired me.

I am not disappointed... although basic, the diagrams will be more than sufficient (says, I whom have not yet put scissors to fabric nor thread to machine on this project) to work it out.

After much to and fro I finally settled on the blouse pictured above left... partly because I've always had a thing for square necklines and also because it's perfect for this time of year here in Oz... Autumn is now upon us and the weather will soon start to cool... how adorable is this bit of loveliness going to look teamed with some leggings (or when my next Japanese pattern book arrives - yes, I've already ordered another - there are some beautiful pants in it that will work wonderfully).

So, first things first, check out the pattern sheet... this awesome book comes with 23 full size patterns, in 5 sizes for each.... and guess what?

They are all printed, front and back, on one large sheet (big enough to almost cover my dining table), and overlaying one another... oh, I feel a glass of red would go nicely in hand whilst I absorb this one!

Okay, glass of red on standby along with a few tools...

Here's how I began:

Normally, with PDF patterns, I'd print them out on regular paper then use a serrated tracing wheel to trace the indents onto a large newspaper end roll sheet. But I couldn't bear to mark any of this book, including the pattern sheet... and even if I wanted to there was just far too many patterns overlaying one another to ever be able to do it this way without utterly destroying the pattern sheet.

So, I used one cheap, generic roll of baking paper - the generic stuff came on a roll about 30m long and is not at all waxy (or non-stick mind you... I never use it for baking but it's perfect for patterns) and is stronger than tissue paper, cheaper than lightweight interfacing and still translucent enough to trace through without a light box or the need to sticky tape it to a large window!

And, then I simply got tracing the old school way... easy really, the hardest part of this step was finding the right pieces amongst the bazillion on the page!

(They are referenced with a letter to correspond to the design so it's not that hard - just a little tiring on the eyes... nothing a nice slow sip of a good red doesn't fix or soothe!)

So, I got to tracing... it pretty much took the better part of a whole afternoon (with the expected kiddy interruptions, queries and curiosity).

I went a bit OCD and decided to colour code the pattern pieces according to size... the prettiness of it all makes me happy.

I used BIC branded fine permanent markers in a rainbow of colours... they are fab - they don't bleed through or smudge and the colours are just so darn pretty!

This pile of cuttings above... not so pretty LOL!

Ooh... look, all pieces finally cut, sorted, and now labelled - kind of like a guessing game reliant on only a little sewing knowledge... mainly to be able to guess front to back pieces but the diagrams in the book do help... If you love jigsaw puzzles you'll breeze these!

Me, I'm not one for ever having followed sewing instructions or set traditional store bought patterns... give me a finished picture and just a few pointers and I'm much more happier!

(One day I'll tell you about my first sewing project done in secondary school at the mandatory sewing lessons we had back then... It was not good... I believe I scraped a 'D' mark and the pant's I made were beyond hideous!)

Let me know if you've used any Japanese pattern books... better yet tell me of your favourite all time foreign pattern book (yes, help me feed my new found penchant for this)... and pop back soon to see how I go with this one!

So, cross your fingers for me, wish me luck... it's time to put scissors to fabric and thread to machine and see what little bit of loveliness can be churned from my machine!

Tweaking and rejuvenating!

2012-03-02T18:27:00.000+11:00

Well, what do you think?

I've tweaked the layout and decided to rejuvenate the blog layout a little...

I think this new layout is a little less cluttered now to set about cleaning up and neatening my side bar...

And then I'll be back with a bit of a follow along on my latest project -I've fallen in LOVE with Japanese pattern books!!!

A Random Rambling...

2012-03-01T00:10:00.000+11:00

Tonight the hubs and I had a night out together - just us, no kids in sight. Just for fun and for a laugh I kept referring to it all day as "date night"... each time I did it earnt an exaggerated eye roll from the husband which just made me laugh more and resolve to keep on referring to it more often as such at random points in the day.

Seriously, I love my two little girls beyond any words could quantify (and who before my eyes are growing up WAY. TOO. FAST) but it is nice to enjoy those rare and quiet times where it feels like we are a couple again rather than two people muddling through this thing called adulthood, responsibility and attempts at raising well rounded and balanced children.

Now don't get too excited for me... our "date night" was the simple bliss of a new release movie watched at the local cinema - but oh how I'm sure all you parents will know how these simple, little things, taken for granted without their worth realised pre-children can take on immense currency once they are an almost forgotten memory lost amongst the laundry, nappies, laughter, tears, needs and wants of the little people who steal your heart and warm your soul...

Anyway, just a random funny (well I thought so anyhow)... Hubby and I have such different movie viewing styles - if there is such a thing. I'm one of those annoying cinema whisperers... a speculative and always guessing movie viewer... and I just feel like I'm busting if I can't tell someone as the thought, speculation or guess comes to mind. The hubby on the other hand relishes total movie viewing silence... a film totally devoid of viewer conversation... total and solitary absorption. He even threatens (jokingly so) to sit at the opposite end of the seating row from me...

All this brought about a rather light, semi joking, homeward bound car conversation... The hubby is just not a talker, not big on conversation... I'm the opposite. We laughed at how when you watch the news and they have the feel good segment with the couple celebrating their silver or golden wedding anniversary that the interviewer will always ask for the secret to a long marraige and the answer is often something like 'communication'... we laughed at what our tip would be and we settled on 'tolerance'... He tolerates my incessant natter and talking (with many a shush) and my constant sentences beginning with, "I've been thinking..." and I tolerate his shushes, his annoying habits - like cinema silence, compulsive tv channel flicking, and need to nap at any given chance (you know, the big stuff... LOL)

Yep, I often think we are an odd couple... but it works... sometimes it's hard work... other times its not... some days we can make each other laugh till it hurts... and others we can infuriate each other to eye-popping extremes (well... maybe not that bad... hmmm... maybe?).

We had a nice night, I feel happy...

I have a wonderful partner in my husband and we've been blessed with two gorgeous and precious little girls... I am grateful and I just wanted to share it!

Little Little Miss M and Daddy... I LOVE this photo... It makes my heart smile :)

2012-02-28T20:44:00.000+11:00

You've heard it all before.

I've promised to try to be here more. Give you more posts. More free tutorials. More of me....

I haven't delivered and up till right now to be honest it has been a little bit of a source of stress. I keep just popping by, checking out the stats, seeing what's still of interest and wishing I had more to give, more time and just a bit more of everything really....

*Insert random photo (because photo's make me happy, they make blog posts look pretty and really, this whole big, wide world truly is beautiful! This is a SOOC - a phone camera too, mind you - shot of the beach where the family and I have just returned from holidaying... is it not BEAUTIFUL!)

But here's the thing, I don't want to be stressed about something I actually love doing - creating, sewing, delivering tutes and telling you about my day to day. Today I think I realised that what is stressing me is not any stress created by not blogging but perhaps the stress of not having an outlet... you see it's really quite cathartic and self-satisfying to get on here and just type and share. I love that so many of you have popped by my little blog and had a read, left a comment and even used a tute or two.

I'm de-stressing and it feels good. I want to really thank each and every reader who stops by here... it's nice to feel like I'm actually typing/talking/sharing with more than just myself.... maybe I've been gone and sporadic of late for too long to actually have many of you still popping by... maybe I am now just rambling to myself... still cathartic though! But for those that are here, popping by, I really do appreciate it... I know I will get out of this blogging funk one way or another... there's a whole lot of ideas upstairs that are busting to get on the screen... but in the meantime I thought I'd give a quick recap on my past top 3 posts - all tutorials, so I guess without asking it's safe to assume that's what a lot of you want to see more of.... (wish me creativity and time and I will produce!!!! ☺)

The number one post to date, with close to 12,000 views - I know, small fish in the big scale of this massive blog-o-sphere but BIG FISH to me and my little ditty amongst it plus this little fact also for some silly reason gives me... BIG SMILES ☺☺☺.

THE 50c THRIFTY REFASHION

A very close second is:

A TIERED RUFFLE REFASHION

and coming in third from back in December 2010

THE DOUBLE LAYER TWIRLY SKIRT

And you know what? I just looked to the right sidebar and see that, yep, I have previously put a widget on there that actually already lists the most popular 10 posts from my blog... hmmm... I always discover these kind of things afterwards! So there you go! Check out the other seven too!

I'd love to know what brought you by here today... enlighten me, if you will... let me know about your blog so I can stop by and say hi... follow my blog if you like and let me know... check out my Pinterest boards... tell me about yours... What do you do to get out of a blogging rut?

Putting a call out for some virtual interaction of the bloggy, friendly, crafty sort!

☺

PART 1: It all started with a pin...

2012-02-05T01:47:00.000+11:00

Pinterest... It's been an addiction for some time now - there's almost always a tab up the top of my screen with it open and ready for some random browsing, pinning, wishing and dreaming!

So many pins so little time... You can find all my pins by clicking the above tab, check them out - and I'd love if you liked what you saw enough to follow along!

I thought I'd do a bit of a showcase series of sorts and show you a few of the things that all started with a pin....

I'll be doing a few more posts on other themed pinterest inspired projects over the next few weeks...

Today, here's a few of the food type ones...

I love cake decorating... you will find some examples of my earlier cakes HERE... but then I saw this fabulous fondant quilled cake on pinterest:

Source: mycakeschool.com via Spangler on Pinterest

And this one....

Source: redoncakes.com via Spangler on Pinterest

And so I had to give it a go... and so was born my first Quilled Fondant Cake:

Source: thequickunpick.blogspot.com via Spangler on Pinterest

This rainbow icing pin...

Source: raspberrytart.tumblr.com via Spangler on Pinterest

...inspired this... oh and the cake pops were an idea garnished from the wonderful world of pinterest too!

My cookie monster cakes were born of a pin seen and loved...

Source: thequickunpick.blogspot.com via Spangler on Pinterest

And then because my girl LOVES pink at her request we came up with and made... Conchita - Cookie Monsters long lost cousin!

Source: thequickunpick.blogspot.com via Spangler on Pinterest

In my search for a cake theme for Big Little Miss M's Birthday last year I came across this:

Source: howsweetbakery.com via Spangler on Pinterest

This was my result:

Source: thequickunpick.blogspot.com via Spangler on Pinterest

Source: howsweetbakery.com via Spangler on Pinterest

I used this idea to package up some homemade cookies for my mother-in-law as a gift from my girls...

Source: southernliving.com via Spangler on Pinterest

These brilliant cupcakes baked directly in a wafer cone and the foil tray holder are fabulous...

Source: ohcupcakes.net via Spangler on Pinterest

And with that inspiration I made these:

Source: thequickunpick.blogspot.com via Spangler on Pinterest

I saw these...

Source: deliciousdeliciousdelicious.blogspot.com via Spangler on Pinterest

And just knew that my girls party candy buffet would not be complete without them....

This cake photo...

Source: foodgal.com via Spangler on Pinterest

...inspired my own Frangelico Imbibed nutella combo cake

Source: thequickunpick.blogspot.com via Spangler on Pinterest

Now here's some food pins I've road tested and Oh My Goodness... sinfully yummy food (that sadly does my diet no good!)

Magical Layered Brownies..... these are GOLD!

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Spangler on Pinterest

This pastry effect is easy and looks good too - was the perfect way to wrap my yummy apple strudel...

Source: eatliverun.com via Spangler on Pinterest

These Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls are pretty much perfect... quick, easy, oh so yummy, super light and fluffy!

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Spangler on Pinterest

These yummy cookies have been given a few runs at our house... they are the new go to cookie recipe for baking days with my girls...

Source: yammiesnoshery.com via Spangler on Pinterest

The girls claim this take on the old banana split as their new favourite:

Source: lickmyspoon.com via Spangler on Pinterest

This Turkish Semolina Cake has been made a few times now - I'm a sucker for semolina and more so for anything drizzled with copious amounts of gorgeous yummy homemade syrup

Source: tastespotting.com via Spangler on Pinterest

Well, I could go on and on - I haven't even included any savoury foods!!!
So if you're not on pinterest head on over - there's more things to try and experiment with than you'll ever have all the time to do but you will find some absolute gems that are sure to be long - time family favourites!

So, as much as Pinterest sucks the spare time out of your day, makes you wish for a bigger house with fantastical proportions and oozing charm of a H&G mag, and all the rest of it... it's all those projects, recipes, hints, tips, quotes to inspire and laugh and identify with that make the Pinterest experience so lovely and addictive.

So, tell me with a comment and a link - What is your favourite pin of all time? I'd love to check it out and have a sticky about your pinterest boards.... and while I'm at it stop by mine and tell me what you think!

Oh, and if you'd like to enter my current Facebook Giveaway, stop by at SPANGLE say g'day and to get your entry simply click the below link and LIKE the fitness comment I've left there - it's to help me win a small competition for some weight loss products (you can find out more about the product and my weight loss by following my FB page) and as a thank you one lucky liker of the comment will receive a gorgeous SpaNGle doll (doll design by Bit of Whimsy) OPEN for WORLDWIDE entry!

Here's the link to enter CLICK HERE Like the comment and the winner liker will be decided via Random.org on 13th February - Good Luck

Be sure to stop by again soon to see what other pins have inspired me!

Cheers xo

QUICK SNAP GIVEAWAY...

2012-02-02T17:30:00.000+11:00

WIN! WIN! WIN! Win your very own SpaNGle* hand made Bit of Whimsy Doll... especially made just for the little princess in your life.... Stop by my Facebook page: SpaNGle* to find out how to enter!!!!

***UPDATE***: This giveway will be open until the 13th February and entry is as simple as clicking on this link:

https://www.facebook.com/rapidchallenge/posts/354337331256774

and LIKING my fitness tip comment... I will compile a list of all entrants on the 13th and assign each liker a number and then generate the winner via Random.org ...If you want to be extra nice and make me even happier why not stop by my FB page and like it too!!!

Cheers xo

Oh, and I so promise that very soon I will get back into the swing of regular blogging and more free tutorials ☺

Inspired…

2012-01-09T02:06:00.001+11:00

Just popping by quickly (or so I originally thought anyhow)… I have been away visiting all three of my three brothers in the city and also my Grandma this past weekend (with my two lovely little ladies in tow) and I have returned home feeling re-energised and inspired.

In my mind I have a blueprint of the next tutorial I’m going to start for you all tomorrow… its going to be a super simple to follow winter tute (even though we’re sweltering here in Oz through mid summer) – how exciting to feel I’ve got a little creativity surging through the veins!

I just hope it lives up to all that my mind believes it is right now…

So, as for my couple of days away...

The girls hadn’t seen their Great-Grandma (Mamma) for some time so it was nice to get down to visit her… she’s still seems so fit and well, even if her memory (early stages of dementia) and confusion at times clouds the conversation… it is sad to learn how much she is forgetting or rather how much of life has slipped into closed parts of her minds memory.

I look at the above photo and for the first time I’m struck with some of the resemblances Little Little Miss M has of my Mamma… I don’t know if I’m the only one that would think this or can you see it too???

Catching up with my brothers is always so nice… even more so when I manage to see all three of them in one trip!

My older brother lives in a unit with quite a small courtyard for an backyard area but gee my girls and I were so jealous of his little garden. Over the past year or so he really has become quite the organic gardener! Check out how lush his planter boxes and vegetable plants look… I wish I took more photo’s of the other side of his courtyard where he had all his salad plants and herbs. Big Little Miss M thought it was the most amazing ‘garden jungle’.

Today before heading home we made it to one of the city markets too which was nice… it had been about 9 years since I’d been to this particular one (and in honesty it hadn’t changed very much at all). My younger brother took the girls for a ride on the train that goes around a huge lake there and they loved it… and I’d really love to know what is going on inside their heads at times… Little Little Miss M often gazes off beyond the distance, deep in thought.

But now I really should be catching up on some sleep… especially if I’m going to get this tutorial underway…

Oh… and a totally random observation – it’s the middle of the night here (almost 2am in fact) and I’ve just realised that I can hear what sounds like a whole flock of galahs going crazy screeching and squawking outside… I wonder what’s up because I didn’t think birds got noisy like that in the middle of the night … hmmm strange!

Anyhow, I best be catching those zzzzz’s …

Until next time…

Easing into 2012…

2012-01-06T10:17:00.001+11:00

Well, it’s one day short of a week into the new year and I’m already thinking it’s going fast!

Here at The Quick Unpick we’ve been lazily enjoying just easing into 2012.

Big Little Miss M is 4 1/2 and eagerly awaiting the start of 4 year old kinder (she’s got a few more weeks of holidays.

And Little Little Miss M who is 2 1/2 seems to think she’s off to school this year… unfortunately she misses the cut off for three year old kinder this year by 28 days so she’ll be still home with me (which I’m quietly pretty pleased about – it will be nice to have a couple days a week with my little bubba all to myself… or rather for her to have me all to herself).

The girls and I have FINALLY gotten our act together and put one of the raised garden beds together. Here’s what we have growing…

We have a mixture of bought seedling and some free growing ones that have sprouted from the home compost. Speaking of free growing and seeding, check out these sneaky ones….

These free seeding pumpkins seemed to shoot up overnight… there is so many of them that sadly many are going to have to be pulled up (I think they’re all going to have to come out of this garden bed but a few will be transplanted to a quiet back corner where hopefully they’ll happily take over and produce some nice home-grown pumpkins!).

Now, I’ve never been known for my gardening skills… I’m definitely no green thumb and most plants within short order succumb to my plant murdering ways.

Take note of the girls once thriving strawberry plants…

Yep, I don’t think these sweet babes can be saved!

We’ve also planted some quick growing pittosporum silver sheen along our back fence line in hopes of growing a nice lush hedge… it’s not looking so good.

We’ve had a week of super hot, dry weather… one day hitting over 41C… so maybe I didn’t pick the right time to put them in (plus the back iron fence I think has assisted in baking them.)

They started looking like this in the pots…

And a mere three days later they are turning into crispy, curly things…

Hmmm… will have to put up some shade screening I think. Hopefully they can be saved!

There are some things that are growing… mostly plants that don’t need too much attention, love or care…

Oh and there’s this lovely potted peach tree. It had so, so many gorgeous looking baby peaches growing… and then one day after my terrorising 2 year old got out there, I discovered that she’d managed to pick EVERY. SINGLE. REACHABLE. not ready to be picked peach… Only one escaped here clutches…

Anyhow, a garden oriented post is a little different from me, but that’s been filling our first week of the new year. The little break from sewing has been nice and felt needed… I think it’s assisted in refocussing and hopefully getting a bit more of a creative mojo going on – I’m hankering for a refashioning tutorial!

We’ve done a lot of cloud gazing too… it reminds me of childhood and I think one day it will for my girls too – we all just lay on the trampoline and marvel at the sky and the pretty colours and nature…

So, I hope you are all getting some time to just ease into the year and laze about sky gazing and marvelling at the wonder of this place!

Till next time…

As the year draws to a close...

2011-12-31T14:49:00.001+11:00

Well, it's the last day of 2011... where on earth did the year go?
It feels like I blinked and here's 2012 on our doorstep!

I had a peek back at my resolutions made a year back (you can have a peek here if you like)... It'd be nice to say - woohoo, nailed them all... but you know what is wasn't all good but it wasn't all bad. I achieved some to great degrees and others to smaller degrees. All in all though the partial successes have made the whole process worthwhile.

Life has somewhat overtaken my blogging in the latter part of the year... I started it all gung-ho and keen but then found I was struggling to keep up the frenetic pace I'd set myself and was selling myself short in all areas as a result.

Life has been good to me this past year - not perfect, but it's not meant to be. There has been struggles (some that continue) but there have been many, many, sun shiney perfectly blissful days filled with the laughter of my girls and the joy of life in general.

My sweet little bubba's are growing - so quick, too quick! I'm filled with excitement for them but a feeling that's tinged with fear - for the future and what it holds for them, for the loss of innocence and those baby faces and whole hearted belief in absolutely anything you say to them, I fear the harshness that life sometimes holds will tarnish their perfectly trusting souls... and you know what, there's a whole lot of sadness too at a passing of a life stage for me. I don't think the future holds any more little bubba's for me (I can hope but the realist in me says it's not to be) and so with the reaching of every milestone there's a certain sadness in the knowing that I'll most likely never be here at this point again... my Little Little Miss M is now fully toilet trained - no more nappies (diapers!), such a happy and looked forward to happening, not to mention the dollars to now be saved... but it too (however crazy and ironic it may seem) was coloured with that same sadness....

But onward and forward we go... what will 2012 hold? I'm conflicted with feelings of uncertainty today as I write this... it's a little foreign and I can't quite pin it down but uncertain is just how it feels at this very moment about 2012 and what it may hold for me and those I love... but that's what makes life what it is - the uncertainties, the surprises, the expected and not so...

Now for a flash back photo scape of the year that has been for my two most favourite people in the world...

JANUARY

Big Little Miss M & Little Little Miss M

FEBRUARY

The Girls and their Pa on their first trip to the Lake for water skiing

MARCH

Little Little Miss M... mighty impressed with my offerings of bribery for the perfect photo

My two munchkins

APRIL

Love this moment... two sisters who love like no other quietly sharing
their home baked cookies

MAY

Little Little Miss M turns 2

JUNE

Big Little Miss M turns 4

JULY

Impromptu backyard ballet :)

AUGUST

Kangaroo Bounce bounce bounce... shenanigans at the
local fauna park

SEPTEMBER

The Ballerina...

...and the beautiful bee

OCTOBER

How about them lemons?

Me, oh my!

Big little Miss M in a SpaNGle garment

The girls in some gorgeous SeeSam creations

NOVEMBER

Love displays of sisterly affection ♥

Laughing with pure abandon is infectious

DECEMBER

A new tradition began... Elfie came to visit

My little ladies loving all things Christmas

The took-all-Christmas-eve-night to put together new beds (Ikea KURA) and bedroom
set up for my girls

...till next year when we meet again! xoxox

Elfie... the condensed edition ☺

2011-12-27T23:32:00.000+11:00

Okay... so I got to day 12 and then we went AWOL! Caught up in the Christmas festivities, the crazy last minute gift buying and the family lunches and more.

If you are a fan of my facebook page... SpaNGle* ...you would have been kept up to date on all the Elfie adventures, escapades, shenanigans and plus a spot of sewing and a sale here and there too!

Head on over and become a 'liker' if you 'like'... It would make me smile and put a little spring in my step (let me know with a wall post that you've come via The Quick Unpick)

So, here's the condensed version of days 12 - 24... we had such fun and I'm soooo glad I've started this tradition for my girls. The magic and innocent belief of children is wondrous! Truly! I'd never even heard of The Elf on the Shelf until this year via one of my internet addictions... Pinterest! Honestly, I want EVERY child to have one... my girls ADORED Elfie and it was amazing to see and hear them leap out of bed each day in search of Elfie!

DAY 12

Elfies 12th day was spent just chillin' in the kitchen fridge freezer... He'd brought along his favourite Christmas scarf and earmuffs and if he closed his eyes it was almost like being home at the North Pole!

DAY 13

And on the 13th day they searched high, they searched low, in cupboards and drawers but Elfie was nowhere to be found indoors.

So out they ventured and there he was... on the front porch, kicking back soaking up some sun, kitted out in his special SpaNGle* shorts and sunnies... why? Just because!!!

DAY 14

Day 14 and Elfie really is making himself at home... today the girls discovered him happily sewing away in the 'sewing cave' that is SpaNGle*... an unforeseen development was then my two girls debating just what and for who he was sewing!!!

DAY 15

Elfie was found under the Christmas tree proudly showing off his offerings of the day... a gingerbread house for the girls all studded and adorned with some SpaNGle* of the candy variety!!!

DAY 16

Remember day 14? Elfie was found sewing away in SpaNGle* HQ and the girls began to debate and hypothesise about for whom and what was Elfie sewing... well it turns out that Elfie was hard at work putting the finishing touches on their Santa's helpers outfits!!!!

This morning after slaving away in the sewing cave he was found all curled up asleep in the girls baby doll cradle... all snuggled up amongst the finished garments!

Elfie just knew they'd look gorgeous in their SUPER SpaNGle*y outfits! ;)

DAY 17

And now I guess you want to know about Elfie's 17th day... well, Elfie was so darn tired that on day 17 he decided to take just the smallest of breaks and simply sat around ALL. DAY. and did what he was sent to do - Elfie spent the day simply being the Elf on the Shelf!!!

Rumour has it he was just catching his breath to get ready for the final run to the big day!!!

DAY 18

Elfie heard we were heading to the city for a family catch up... he'd packed his baubles and a few essentials, warmed up Barbies Jeep and was all set for the drive...

DAY 19

Elfie was found relaxing in a bath of Christmas candies... apparently it's good for Elfies complexion!

DAY 20

Time for a spot of fishing out on the rear deck. He managed to get quite a few hours of fishing in before the girls FINALLY found him!

DAY 21

Today Elfie arrived with some special Magic Elf Seeds (small candy) and instructions to plant them in sugar and to sprinkle with snow (desiccated coconut), leave them awhile to see what will grow.... hmmm I wonder what the seeds will become???

DAY 22

I was awoken today by my eldest jumping up and down and squealing.... "Mummy, come look! You won't believe your eyes!" So up I stumbled all bleary eyed over to where all the commotion was...

The magic elf seeds! Elfie had watched them grow all night into some truly magical Christmas pops... The girls were bursting with excitement!

(The inside scoop: Elfie was going to go all Martha Stewart and whip up some homemade magic seed products but you know what? It's awful busy this time of year for a little elf... so Martha, you win this round! LOL)

DAY 23

Elfie heard the girls lamenting the fact they did not have any Christmas stockings so this morning he was found just hanging around... in some brand spanking new stockings direct from the North Pole!

DAY 24

Only one sleep till Christmas and the last morning my girls would wake up to Elfie and his antics for this year...

Much like his welcome breakfast, Elfie had laid out a feast to let the girls know how much he enjoyed being here this December and for them to remember that although he would have to go home when he heard Santa's sleigh bells he would be back next year!

**** **** ****

So there you have the quick abridged version of Elfie's visit 2011. Have you got an Elf?

I picked mine up from Amazon and he was sent all the way from OS... I could not find a seller in Oz who stocked or had in stock this fabulous Elf and included book!

Follow the link to get your very own Elf on the Shelf - you can buy your own elf in preparation for next year! I can't wait already!

Cheers & catch you all soon - hope you all had a wonderful and safe Christmas! xo

Are you all 'elfed' out yet?

2011-12-12T02:19:00.000+11:00

DAY 10 & 11 - The Elfie Diaries.

Friday night was night number ten whereupon we have had the pleasure of Elfies company.

Elfie, himself that night had the pleasure of the company of Barbie, who he took on a lovely, friendly dinner. He donned the suit, polished his good shoes, whipped up supper and as any gentleman should, brought Barbie some beautiful flowers!

It was interesting to see the ever so slight twangs of jealousy in Big Little Miss M who curiously asked, "Mum, why is Elfie being so nice to my toys and not me?"

So that led to the need for DAY 11 to be slightly more interactive and inclusive of the girls... after all Elfie deserves to stay in favour with them doesn't he?

Elfie crept into their room whilst they were peacefully and deeply sleeping. Armed with some bright red paint and a brush Elfie gave the girls bright red noses... just like Rudolph but cuter!

He then painted them a little picture and note:

Before leaving them with a direction to look in the mirror and all the paints so they too could paint and create!

So are you all elfed out? We here are definitely NOT! The girls adore Elfie and I am having such fun with him too. Nothing beats being able to enliven their imaginations and to see the wonder, awe, excitement and sparkle in their eye coupled with the sound of such pure laughter.

Like I'm always saying to my girls, "You make my heart smile" :)

An Elfie catch me up...

2011-12-10T02:12:00.000+11:00

I think Elfie has by far become one of my favourite purchase of the year!

My girls are absolutely taken by him, their first waking thought being of Elfie, where he might be and what he's been up to whilst they slept.

I love Elfie as much as my girls do and am having such fun seeing the excitement and laughter and joy that Elfie has brought with him. (Oh, and I might add, yes there has been a few tears too - My big girl really doesn't want to make the naughty list and this is her first thought upon being reprimanded for anything at the moment... yes, she wails and is quite the drama queen (and I love her for it... she will definitely be my emotional girl who wears her heart on her sleeve), throwing herself onto her bed and through sobs declaring that she's trying to be a good girl.

Little Little Miss M still just wants to give Elfie big squeezy hugs but she seems to understand the no touching rule - much better than I thought she might actually.

EVERY night since Elfie has arrived and still the girls want no other book read to them at night than Elfies 'Elf on the Shelf' book...

I'm going to know that book by heart, cover to cover by Christmas Eve!

Anyhow, here's the recap on Elfies last few days, the antics, the shenanigans, the adventures, the escapades...

DAY 7

Elfie had been busy making himself a beaded name keepsake... sitting under the tree, just waiting for the girls to wake with enough supplies for them to have a lovely crafty afternoon.

Day 8:

Now this was a little rushed... you see I was so tired the night before and my little girl was restless and not sleeping. So I lay down with her thinking I would for just a few minutes to help calm her. Well fast forward some 8 or so hours and its 7am and I'm just waking from my 'few minute' lay down.

I woke with the very thought that the girls had been waking with for the past 7 mornings.... "ELFIE!"

I had fallen asleep without moving or setting him up... what to do????

I race out of the room before the girls roll out of bed and stuff Elfie in the laundry hamper thinking he might have to hide outside today... Long story short - the girls searched the house AND the backyard - they were quite concerned that Elfie had not returned from the North Pole.

Lucky whilst they were searching the yard I grabbed the milk, threw in some food die, tucked Elfie into the handle and popped him back in the fridge.

So the girls thought it both relieveing and hilarious that Elfie was in the fridge with some milk he'd turned green....

They had green porridge for breakfast and were also both mighty proud of their green milk mo's.

DAY 9

Elfie had gone back to some of his mischievousness ways and pulled an old school prank...

He TP'd the Tree!

Thank you Pinterest for being a wonderful source of inspiration and ideas - I'd struggle to do Elfie without the wonderful contributions from such wonderfully crafty people.

Now to just scheme up another little something for Elfie to do... ☺

Cheers till next time xo

More of Elfies Antics...

2011-12-07T00:20:00.000+11:00

Day 6 (December 6) and Elfie is so, so loved by my girls.

I lie in bed and listen as they bounce out of bed, search the house - each with their own little ditty and chatter going on... there's shuffling, cupboards opening, cupboards closing, a random, "Elllllfiiiiiie?" called out here and there.

And then it happens, a squeal of delight... one calling to the other to share the discovery.

Yep, Elfie has found a little spot not only somewhere about the home each morning but a little spot in the heart of each of my two girls.

A little Christmas magic created, happy memories to treasure - the wide eyed expressions, the chuckles, the little twinkle in their eyes, the respect they are showing that little elf, how for EVERY night since Elfie arrived the only book they want read to them at bedtime is Elfie's book (The Elf on the Shelf, a Christmas Tradition) - for all these reasons Elfie has found a little spot in my heart too.

And where was he today?

Well today after all that travel to and from the North Pole Elfie clearly needed a little hit of sugar...

...he discovered the girls gumball machine (and no it is not gum in there - I cant imagine giving a 2 and 4 year old gum... well not my two anyhow, I'm not judging anyone who does, how can I really? Is candy coated chocolate any better? Probably not...) and decided it was a good a place as any to spend the day!

The girls thought it was quite amusing (after I reassured them that Elfie truly wouldn't eat all the candy and there would still be some left for them!)

Good times!

So, now I'll be off to see what Elfie is going to get up to tomorrow!

Hope your Christmas season is beginning to fill with Christmas magic too!

Cheers x

Just hanging around...

2011-12-05T20:25:00.000+11:00

Day 5

Elfie's spent the day just hanging about...

He decided to hitch a ride on the flying bird suspended from the roof in the girls room!

When the girls finally found him (they'd checked the rest of the house before even thinking to look in their own room) they thought is was so hilarious!

Cheers x

Elfies Adventures continue... Day 4

2011-12-05T01:48:00.000+11:00

DAY 4: December 4th

I was a little tired this morning... normally I'm up before the girls but today I over slept and was woken by a bit of a commotion in the kitchen.

Immediately I remembered I'd set Elfie up on the kitchen table... "NO!" I thought as I leaped from bed thinking that I'd find my two girls tugging at either end of Elfies little body - My Little Little Miss M has been oh so desperate to give Elfie a hug, whereas my Big Little Miss M has taken on the role of "Elfie Police" and definitely does not want Elfie to lose his magic abilities by being touched by little sister! I thought for sure they'd be arguing over it...

I was so pleasantly surprised...

Big Little Miss M was telling Elfie off and Little Little Miss M was throwing her two cents in also...

You see today Elfie was a little bit naughty...

He obviously had good intentions when he started off by setting the table with their bowls, cups and the box of Rice Pops. But alas he must have tired and gotten bored of waiting for them to awake.

Instead he'd upended a decent amount of Rice Pops on the table and made snow angels!

That naughty Elfie!

Big Little Miss M helped me diligently clean up and later that morning I even spied her giving Elfie a very 'mum-like' talking to about behaviour and what is and isn't acceptable... hehehee!

If you've an awesome idea for some Elfie antics I'd love to hear them... most of my ideas are coming from Pinterest - yes, pinterest I think I love you!

So, till tomorrow (well actually later today) I'm off to catch some zzz's...

but not before preparing Elfie for his next morning of elf shenanigans!

Cheers x

Elfies Escapades.... Day 3

2011-12-04T10:02:00.000+11:00

Just a quickie for now... I'll be back later today...

DAY 3 (December 3rd - I'm posting a day late) of Elfies Escapades

I deliberately left the tree without a star up top on December 1 when the girls and I decorated our tree.

During the day prior the girls and I had discussed the need for our tree to have a star at its peak.

Well on night 3 Elfie came through with the goods!

The girls awoke, searched the house and Little Little Miss M found Elfie perched up on a sparkly gold star.

Big Little Miss M declared that Elfie must of heard us talking and caught a shooting star on his journey back from the North Pole.

I'm loving Elfie being here maybe even more than the girls... what magical fun memories are in the process of being created! ♥

Cheers x

The Elf: Day Two

2011-12-02T23:23:00.000+11:00

Well this morning the girls awoke and the first thing they wanted to do was turn the place upside down looking for Elfie...

Big Little Miss M thought he might be hiding in the laundry - under the trough or in the chest freezer.... NOPE!

Little Little Miss M simply assumed he'd be happily perched where he was when she blew him goodnight kisses the night before... he wasn't... "Elfie gone! Elfie gone!"

But then out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of red and white, something out of place on the dining table...

Lo and behold, there right in the middle of the table the girls discovered that Elfie was meeting and bonding with some of their most liked little figurines over a campfire (tealight) toasting marshmallows on toothpicks...

Elfie had even made sure that there were some long skewers and marshmallows waiting to be toasted by my girls....

They loved it and just think that Elfie is the bees knees...

Big Little Miss M cleaned her room, made her bed, shared with her sister and generally spent the day earning brownie points for Elfie in her pursuit to remain on the 'good' list!

Oh what fun is being had with Elfie in the house...

Now to prepare for tomorrows Elf adventure!

Cheers x

Worst Blogger Nominee and Elf on the Shelf...

2011-12-02T02:09:00.000+11:00

First the nomination and then the fun of the Elf....

If there were an award for the worst blogger I'd certainly be up there with a nomination for most sporadic blogger at present... I started blogging and loved it (still do), loved sharing some refashions and tutes with you all.

Then I decided the time had come to expand my home sewing and selling a little, especially since leaving the workforce to be a stay at home home and the perception that I had more times on my hands... ha! I don't know how I fit work in before! Full credit to those who work outside the home, parent, blog and more!

Well, not that I'm complaining but it really has come to dominate a large percentage of my 'me' time. The evenings when my two girls are asleep, the afternoons when they nap and any other moment I can grab in between, including the time I used to spend doing refashioning tutes and blogging :(

Now, I keep declaring I'm going to be here more often, whip up another tute for you and the fact that I haven't seems to keep me away from here more and for longer when really I do want to continue to blog - for me, for my family (one day I hope my girls will enjoy reading some of their earlier entries) and also to share with you!

So, rather than just slip out of the blogoshpere because I haven't a tute or some amazing refashion for you I'm just going to try and mix it up a little... make it a little more personal, a little more broader in scope.

More about the day to day, what I've been sewing, what I've been cooking, what's caught my eye on Pinterest and yes, from time to time a tutorial if the inspiration and creativity strikes!

So, I'm kicking it off with at the very least to keep you all updated on our families first year of "Elf on the Shelf"

Introducing "Elfie" (yes, I'm certain there are many Elfie's out there - my 4yo and 2yo collaborated and came up with a name that I'm sure is often picked - but doesn't it suit him?).

My girls made and wrote letters to Santa on the 30th November and we sent them via North Pole Express Delivery Service asking if Santa could send an elf to spend some time with us in the lead up to the big day.

Well Santa came through and our very own elf arrived overnight, bringing with him a breakfast from the North pole - waffles, cream & syrup and a huge berry and melon fruit platter. He brought a few little gifts - some Christmas mugs for hot chocolate, some frozen cups for summer slushies (Australian Christmas can be a hot one!), advent calendars and a few sweet treats to eat whilst decorating the tree that Elfie brought along too!

Big Little Miss M was bursting with excitement, declaring, "Santa must be real!"

Little Little Miss M wide eyed with wonder just kept saying "Wow.... wow!"

We read the book together, popped on some jingle bells and rudolph, ate breakfast and then set about decorating the tree...

The girls thought these 'earrings' were brilliant.... Baubles - the season's hottest look!

Ooh, Elfie got to listen to some very amusing conversations today... my big girl at only 4 years old was questioning if Elfie was 'real' or just pretend before deciding he definitely was magic and NO ONE could touch him and my little little 2 year old just wants to cuddle him and talk babble talk all day to him!

Such a fun day... and now to set up Elfie's next 'elfscapade' for tomorrow!

Come back tomorrow to see what Elfie's been up to...

Just a little bit of getting it out...

2011-11-08T01:36:00.000+11:00

To be a better mother...

(and no, I don't believe it's about copious amounts of fairy floss and cotton candy as big as your head... but hey, every once and a while maybe it is?)

Truth be told...

I'm having quite a few day's lately where it feels like I've spent 99% of the day either cranky with my girls, yelling like a banshee to pick up the toys, don't put your fingers in there, no that is NOT edible, do not make me ask/tell you or see you do that again... and it goes on and on...

Often when they're peacefully asleep in bed and the house is quiet I think about the day... I really want my girls to love life, to laugh, to be strong and confident girls. I want to not only be the best mother I can be BUT to be even better than that. I want my girls to have happy memories of family times, shared love, fun - the belief in the fairies, Santa, and other magical and amazing childhood fantasies... of a childhood that brings a smile to their faces and a warmth to their hearts.

But no one tells you just how hard its going to be... how you honestly feel like you've been stripped of almost every last shred of sanity... when all you can do is quietly have a cry - out of not only exhaustion but so much more... more than words can adequately put meaning or substance to. Not that I thought it would be a walk in the park... it's just that nothing quite compares to trying to negotiate reason and logic with a two or four year old...

I love being a mother. I love my two little girls -as mothers do - with a love so strong that they consume my whole heart... I want the best for them, including the best of me and sometimes it saddens me to think, in the peace of the evening that perhaps today we didn't even come close to that... and yes there is tomorrow, but there will only ever be one today and I despise feeling like I want a 'do-over'

Hmmm... yes, well in the absence of a do-over I guess I'll just sleep on it and resolve to try that little bit harder when I wake. Maybe, we all need to feel a little bit of a failure at times so that we can appreciate the successes - the unprompted manners, the random compliment paid from a stranger about your well behaved child/ren, the times when laughter fills the air and big squeezey cuddles and sloppy kisses abound (oh and don't forget that fairy floss).

~To let go of the little things, laugh at the crazy things and marvel at the wondrous things~

"SpaNGle*" snap facebook giveaway!

2011-10-29T19:05:00.004+11:00

We all LOVE a giveaway don't we?

Well head over to my facebook page...

SpaNGle*

... NOW...

and become a 'liker' and then be sure to pop back here and leave a comment telling me so....

because in about 1 hour....

(8PM AEDST)

you can take part in my facebook giveaway and take home this gorgeous pillowcase dress:

Open WORLDWIDE to anyone who is a 'liker' of my facebook page....

PLUS if you want an extra entry, follow my blog and again leave a separate comment letting me know!

The winner will be decided using Random.com to select a number (which will correspond to the comments) and will be posted here once decided!

****UPDATE****
And the winner....
as decided by Random.org...

Comment 27... JODESS,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

And the winner of the VIP Shopping Pass to SpaNGle*s next sale night...

is comment 7

Dafina Rexha... Congratulations - you have won a pass to shop and choose to purchase ONE item from SpaNGle*s next market night sale on Facebook PRIOR to the sale opening!!!

2011-10-28T02:17:00.000+11:00

Hmmm... I kind of let my one year 'blogoversary' just slip right by! Not much ado... no fanfare...

I guess I've never been much for one on my birthdays (for the kiddo's its different - nothing beats an awesome cake and the delight of the littlies opening their presents and blowing out the candles and all round just feeling that little bit extra special!)

I've been super busy with... life, children, sewing - you name it... oh and trying to convince the hubby that we NEED to paint the house while the weather is good and he's got leave from work (I know it doesn't seem fair that I load him up with house renovation type things on this work break... but when else can I do it?)

Okay... change of subject (I'll keep you posted on the house painting situation as it *hopefully* progresses)...

Here's just a few things I've fallen for lately:

Upcycled dresses and fashion from the lovely Bec from See-Sam. Check out here FB page and say g'day... here's my two lovelies in their See-Sam dresses (and they've another two custom makes on the way!)

Oh Pinterest... I think I'll always be a fan!

The most recent project I undertook via some pinspiration, was these super easy cupcake wrappers...

Source: Intimate Weddings

Here's the link to the fabulously easy and ridiculously cheap tutorial.... I managed to make 30 from a packet of ten 12" paper doilies - so happy... they look just as good as the expensive bought ones only better because they don't cost a fortune (and you don't cringe or mentally calculate the costs when someone rips it from the cupcake and discards the wrapper without a second thought)!

And my most favourite brand new kitchen gadget/utensil...

I happened across this amazing, non stick, mini-cheesecake and pudding tray at a discount kitchen supply store on a recent trip to the city! Needless to say I have been churning out the cheesecake creations... this tray makes achieving perfectly professional looking mini cheesecakes a breeze! I love how the bottoms pop out... so far every cheesecake I've made with the tray has come out perfectly - I'll photograph one for you all if I can manage it before they get gobbled up. Not so good for my waistline perhaps...

Oh and while your here, why not take a moment to pop by my facebook page... I'll be running a giveaway on Saturday at 8PM (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time)...

Hope to see you over there! So what pinterest project has taken your fancy lately? Do you have a most favourite kitchen gadget or utensil you just cannot live without? Or who is your favourite handmade label at the moment? I'd love to know!

Cheers xo

When moons align, the wind is right and the world conspires WITH you...

2011-10-09T09:19:00.001+11:00

Rolled hems and I... (or rolled hems and me - as I'm told is correct grammar these days???) we have a relationship that is often tempestuous! I like to tuck the rolled hem foot away and pretend it doesn't exist but at the same time I just love the finished look of the neat little hem that it can create (when the moons align, the wind is right, the world is conspiring with me and it all works as it should, that is!)

Well people... today was one of those days!

Gorgeous, little and neat rolled hems! Bliss!

I heard about a little hint of snipping the start corner on a 45degree angle to help it feed onto the foot. Sounds easy enough... and it seemed to work too! I was on a ROLL!!! (heehee... really sad pun I know, but I just had to!)

UNTIL... it seemed my new found confidence with the rolled hems was short lived as then my machine began to skip threads, bunch up the bobbin thread and generally give me grief!

Time to inspect... and look what I found:

How disgracefully, lint filled is my bobbin holder? Kind of embarrassing. I'm not sure when I last cleaned it out - and I know, I know, I should be cleaning it after each use... but really, how many of us do that? What, you do? Okay, I'm off today to buy a can of compressed air... I believe that I should be cleaning the serger EVERY time too - I'm not even going to let you get a look in that baby!

Anyhow, my poor dusty machine got a bit of a dust out and she was back to giving me perfectly rolled hems. I wonder how much better she'll perform once I start giving her a burst of compressed air every day!

Oh, and did you notice the new blog header? Do you remember the old one? I thought it needed an update... what do you think? I'm not sure on it yet - it might grow on me though, we'll see.

Hope you're having a day where all your moons are aligning, the wind is right and that the world is conspiring with you - whatever you're doing!

Cheers xx

A spot of sewing...

2011-10-08T02:36:00.000+11:00

Time sometimes seems to just disappear... I look at the clock and its early afternoon and before I know it, in the blink of an eye the afternoon is fading into evening - and that's even though we've just started daylight savings time here less than a week ago!

It's been school holiday's for the past couple of weeks but they're over come Monday and Spring began at the start of the month... warmer weather is on its way!!! I love summer - I pine all winter long for more warmth (even though I absolutely love the snow - but only if I'm skiing).

I've actually managed to fit a little sewing in over the last couple of days and here's a peek at some of it:

A gorgeous A-line with a really quirky, vintage looking owl and cat print... I wasn't sure about the dress design at first but when I popped it on Little Miss M I fell in love... it kind of helps that she really turns it on for the camera (even if it's a little over the top at times ☺)

Ooh... and this gorgeous vintage style romper - I'm seeing some of these pop up all over the place at the moment. This outfit makes me want another little bub (even more)... I think I'll be making more of the kanzashi style brooches too, I really like how they look and they are super quick to make.

So, are you following my facebook page, SpaNGle yet? Check it out, follow along and say hi - it really makes my day! The above two items will be for sale on my page at 8pm (AEST) on the 25th October 2010... plus more gorgeous outfits that will be previewed over the coming weeks. (Oh and while I'm at it - why not follow my pinterest boards too... ... I promise I'll check out your pins and boards to see what goodies and projects have caught your eye!)

And just because I love how they turned out here's a few more photo's of my two little ladies...

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Pop by again... leave a comment if you like - because I'd love to hear from you! It'll send a smile my way.

Cheers

Tutorial: Turn your vintage paper dolls into durable Fabric 'n' Felt Paper Dolls

2011-10-02T03:16:00.005+11:00

Did you play with and dress paper dolls when you were a little girl? I did and I loved them... in fact I still have quite a nostalgic affection for them.

What I never loved about paper dolls was how I always managed to tear the most loved outfit... or a paper tab would fall off from being folded and unfolded one too many times.

My two girls, Big Little and Little Little Miss M are only 4 and 2 but I've really wanted to share more of the things I loved as a child with them... they both are somewhat innocently heavy handed with toys - as kids their age are entitled to be. So I always thought paper dolls would have to wait a few more years yet... but...

...a few months back Big Little Miss M was given a felt board as a gift. It had a felt cut out doll and felt clothing and accessories - she LOVED it! I pondered buying more for her and her sister but they were a tad expensive and really basic looking - they were pretty much just plain felt shapes etc... plus I thought I could make some up myself!

So that's how the "Printed, Fused, Fabric 'n' Felt Paper Dolls" came to be... I have been meaning to do this project for months... I've seen felt paper dolls online but they are quite different to what I've done here. I haven't seen them made like this online, but the web is wide and vast and it's very likely it may have been done before but anyhow, here's how I created my durable and (biased opinion) very gorgeous fabric 'n' felt paper dolls. The tutorial may look a little daunting and like there's lots and lots of steps, but it really is a single afternoon project that comes together really easily.

SUPPLIES

Original paper doll set (or printable download)

White Cotton Fabric (enough to cover 3x A4 pages)

Freezer Paper (1x A4 sized page)

Heat 'n' Bond Iron on Adhesive (3x A4 sized paged)

White Felt (3x A4 sized paged)

Couple of extra felt squares

Printer/Scanner

A4 paper

Baking paper

Scotch tape

& scissors (for fabric and for paper)

Here's the original vintage/retro paper doll set (which I bought from this fabulous little Etsy store that has a gorgeous and eclectic range of vintage goods, EmmyLucy)

I loved that it came with a backdrop scene, accessories and quite a few super cute outfits for 'Sarah' - 6 dresses, 2 hats, 2 head scarves, wheelbarrow, pitchfork, cat and even a chook!

The paper doll set being as old as I am, it - like me - has acquired some wear and tear over the years, but - and again, hopefully like me - has weathered the prior years rather well.

1. If you are not using a paper doll download that is already on your computer you will need to scan your paper pieces in. Try to position them so they won't take up the whole A4 page - you will at least a 1/4 to 1/2 inch border... you will see why later.

2. Once you have the images selected and scanned on, mark one corner of the first page in your printer (to enable you to easily work out which way you will later feed your material and paper through).

3. Then print off a draft of each page in greyscale to be used as a guide in the following steps.

4. Cut your white cotton - it needs to be nice and wrinkle free, so take the time to iron it if needed... trust me, if you don't you'll just find yourself needing to redo the prints and possibly also struggling to unjam your printer... and no, not learned from experience but I will not be held responsible for damaged printers... lol.

Your cotton should be cut to be a little smaller than the A4 paper size - check though to make sure all of your printing area is covered by fabric.

5. Now for the freezer paper, fabric printing - you can find tutorials all over the internet for how to print on fabric... this is how I do it and my preferred method of doing so. If you have another method choose whichever works best for you.

Cut your freezer paper (remember NOT to use your fabric scissors for this) so that it is roughly the same size as your cotton sheets... doesn't need to be exact but try to keep both the fabric and freezer paper edges fairly smooth, you're going to want your printer to feed it through without snagging.

6. Using a hot iron on the steam free setting, place your cotton sheet on the ironing board and then lay the freezer paper on top with the glossy side down and iron over the paper. This will cause your fabric to adhere to the freezer paper... don't worry about any overhang onto the ironing board it lifts off without leaving any residue as it doesn't really melt, it just gets tacky enough to hold the fabric.

Allow it to cool before proceeding... only takes seconds.

7. Then using just a little scotch tape on the edge that will feed into the printer first, attach the fabric (with the freezer paper attached) to the draft sheet with the fabric facing up. You want to make sure there's no curled corners or fabric hanging over the A4 paper edge as you want it to feed through your printer without jamming - so don't go overboard on the tape either... just enough to hold it together at the top edge.

Then place the sheet (which should consist of three layers - A4 draft page, freezer paper & cotton fabric) into your printers paper feed using the earlier marking on the draft to figure out which way it should go in so that it will print on the fabric.

Carefully separate all layers and use your iron (again without steam) to set the print onto the fabric. I do this the first time with the print face down and then again a second time face up.

Repeat this step for however many pages you have.

I re-used the same freezer paper for each print out, it looses it's glossiness after the first print but still sticks the fabric just fine - why waste it if you don't have to?

8. Now to apply the heat 'n' bond to the printed fabric...

...follow the first steps on the product to use your iron to attach the heat'n'bond to the wrong side of the cotton prints. For this step I put a little extra baking paper under the cotton as the heat'n'bond will melt onto your ironing board if it overhangs the cotton... and it is a nightmare to remove - this one.... I know from prior experience :P

9. Now here you deviate from the regular instructions for creating fusible appliqués as detailed on the heat'n'bond packet... DO NOT cut your shapes out yet!

Once the heat'n'bond has cooled remove the paper backing and place the fabric onto the felt... I put the background print onto a blue felt square whilst all the clothing, accessories and 'Sara' - the paper doll - were placed onto the white felt.

Use your baking paper and bond the felt to the fabric using your hot iron.

10. Now you can cut out your 'paper' (felt) doll and all the accessories... can be a little time consuming but not hard to do - use sharp fabric scissor for this to keep your edges nice and clean.

I also used a craft, kind of scalpel thingy (some one tell me what it's called - I have a major mental block... I've been looking at the said thingy for a while now and it's not coming to me... grrr) to easily cut out the face hole on the head scarves and to cut some slits into the hats for easy felt doll wearing.

How cute is she looking?

I LOVE the detail and texture that can be achieved printing onto a nice cotton fabric... this is why you took the time earlier to iron your fabric nice and smooth - any wrinkle would effect the print quality.

12. Then I decided at the last minute to make it into a felt book of sorts by sewing another square of felt to the background square... I will make up a cover print for the front tomorrow using the original box outer as the scan image and probably put either a couple plastic snaps, a button or velcro onto the outer corners to hold it closed when not in use.

And there you have it... it's been a long time between dances but it is definitely time for a victory dance, because your done... you now have a gorgeous printed and fused, felt paper doll that will withstand most typical toddler abuse!

My girls are going to love me in the morning for this.... heheh, they so wanted to get their hands on the paper set when they watched me begin this project, but now it's all packed away to hopefully see another generation of play - it surely would of struggled to last 2 minutes in the hands of my two... but the fabric and felt? Almost untearable!

Such a handy bonus... they will get the love and joy of a classic and educational toy, whilst I will have the quiet satisfaction of knowing they'd have a hard time destroying my felt version and that the original is safely stowed away... it's truly a WIN-WIN!

So now here's a look at all 'Sarah of The Ginghams' in all her outfits:

You will notice the felt cut outs have no tabs like the traditional paper dolls, this is because the felt will hold sufficiently on its own.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial... enough perhaps that you'll give it a go. Printing on fabric is really so easy and opens up so many crafty possibilities... and I just love heat'n'bond - no need for sewing and no fear of fraying!

Don't be shy, leave a comment, give me some feedback, ask a question or show off your own attempt at the felt paper dolls or just say hi - I love reader comments... and as a SAHM adult interaction is nice too!

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Tomorrow's a new day...

2011-09-30T01:46:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow is a new day... and I've decided that I really need to get more motivated and I desperately have been wanting to post a new tutorial - any tutorial... just something that might get the creativeness going again...

Let's see what tomorrow brings... and as I contemplate sleep for the night, I pledge to bring you a tutorial... tomorrow (mañana, mañana... it's what my husband is jokingly always saying to me!)

And no post is complete without a photo of two of my most favourite girls in the world.... (oh, and I snuck into the photo too... a bit of a rarity, I tell you!)

Cheers... and together let's see what tomorrow brings...

A hair cut that's been a long time coming...

2011-09-24T02:28:00.000+10:00

I like long hair on my girls and loved every strand on their little heads! I held out for SOOOOO long but the time finally arrived for Big Little Miss M to have her FIRST EVER haircut. This was a big deal for me and her!

It only took 4 years, 2 months and 29 days to get there!

For such a while I'd lamented just how fine and whispy her hair was - especially every time I tied it back or tried an up-do, but at the same time I loved that it still felt like baby hair, had the most gorgeous blond sunbleached ends and even the very fact that not a single hair on her head had ever encountered a pair of scissors.

So, so many people had suggested that if I just cut or trimmed her hair that it would thicken up...

My big girl began asking about getting a haircut a couple of months ago... so after much to-ing and fro-ing, and internal debate, out came the scissors and after a few before shots and a snip here and there my girl had had her very first ever haircut.

THE BEFORE (mug)SHOTS

She sat so still for me and in retrospect she was obviously a little nervous.

THE AFTER SHOTS

Why do I think she was nervous? Well, because it was with typical childish innocence that after I made the first snip and proudly showed her the lock of hair we were going to keep as a memento she exclaimed,

"But Mummy, it didn't even hurt!"

How perfectly logical for my little girl, who's always been told to never touch my sewing scissors, been warned of how knives can cut and who understands that cuts and scraps can hurt, to unwittingly believe that the act of haircutting may carry some of that same pain.

It would never have occurred to me that she may have thought this way but the joy in her discovery of the painless haircut made this memorable occasion even more endearing and special!

And here's my little one doing some crazy eyes as she checks out her brand spanking new fringe (aka bangs)

Cheers till next time ☺

Fondant Quilling, The Ballerina & the Bumblebee plus a little of the everyday

2011-09-16T01:25:00.001+10:00

The days seem to bleed into one another and weeks seem to be merging into a blur of the everyday...

It's September and the beginning of Spring... I love Spring! It means more sunshine, more warmth and generally for me just a sense of being renewed after the wet and windy winter weather. This winter seemed to get to me more than any other before - it seemed colder, longer and generally more miserable. The girls and I and even hubby seemed to be on an endless merry go round of winter colds and flues. I've the remnants of one clinging on at the moment and even lost my voice for a few days (a bonus for the hubs I'm sure!)

Anyhow, did I say it's Spring? Yay! The sun has been out and the weather has been glorious for the past week or so.

Last week I tried my hand at fondant quilling... I had never seen or heard of this until I saw a couple of amazing cakes on Pinterest... and well I was determined to give it a go. I made up a batch or so of marshmallow fondant (recipe can be found within THIS post) and coloured it up nice and bright:

Why the bobbin? you may be wondering. Well, the only cake decorating shop within about 100 kms or so did not have any fondant ribbon cutters in stock and I had left this cake till the last minute to make and didn't have the time to order one online ... It was to celebrate the 50th birthday of the lovely lady, Judi (yes, I spelt her name wrong on the cake - I was sure at 1am the night before that there was only one way to spell Judy... never mind she loved it anyway!) who volunteers and operates one of the fabulous church affiliated playgroups I attend with my girls. So I made do with what I had and the only thing I could think of that would give me nice even strips was the bobbin... and with the aid of a toothpick it did a reasonable job! Here's the finished cake:

I'm happy with my first attempt but there certainly is room for some improvement... my attempt at marbling the fondant on the base cake really went kind of mucky coloured rather than the wonderful rainbow swirls I'd been picturing in my head!

The girls and I have been having walks in the local fauna park... we are so lucky to have such a wonderful and educational facility only about a kilometre from home - its a huge park where kangaroos, emus, ducks and more just wander freely and then there are the walk through bird enclosures as well as reptile and snake enclosures (thankfully not open range). The girls absolutely love going there to spend a few hours just wandering through nature and admiring the flora and fauna...

Here they are jumping like kangaroos just after we walked into the park....

And here's some of the local inhabitants....

one of the dingos (they have about 5 at the park including one white -I think albino- one but it wasn't about on this day)

The emu's which wander freely...

One of the water birds...

Some blue tongue lizards which look like they're loving the sun as much as I do (although not too keen on the human interruption to their sunbathing)...

The girls wondering why the ducks scatter every time they try to catch them... hmmm... if only you could hear my two squealers as they run about the park!

Unfortunately we'd gone in the middle of the day this time and a lot of the girls favourite animals were sleeping... the wombat, the kangaroos and their favourite - the koala's... but even more reason to pop by again on the next sunny day when we have an hour or two to while away!

And my Big Little Miss M also had her first ballet concert a couple of days ago... being a first time concert mum I learnt a few things... 1. Even the baby ballerina's (including my 4 year old) must have a full face of makeup - Big Little Miss M loved this, I was not as keen.... (even though I nearly teared up when I saw her all dressed in her tutu)

2. You cannot take photo's or video during the actual stage performance...

So here's my favourite photo I took of her at the ballet school for her dress rehearsals...

And because Little Little Miss M wanted in on the dress up action, I found this bumblebee costume in the $5 discount bin... the BEST $5 I've spent in a long time - she LOVES this costume and even wanted to sleep in it (tantrums aside when it came time to get her out of it) I even love the way she says "mumble-me" over and over when she's wearing it!

And just because it makes me smile here's the girls showing off their awesome twirling skills!

The Ballerina aka Big Little Miss M:

And my Bumble Bee aka Little Little Miss M:

I love the wind up she has before every twirl!

There's something so beautiful and free about watching little children dance and twirl and take absolute delight in something so simple... one of my most happiest memories of childhood is being outdoors on a sunny day all by myself in my favourite dress, just twirling!

Wishing you all a little twirly delight and magic...

Till next time

Free Flutter Sleeve Custom Made SpaNGle* Dress

2011-09-06T17:07:00.003+10:00

Good afternoon blogland! Sorry, if you've come by for a post on a tutorial or a refashion... sadly I've been a little time poor (read: disorganised) lately and it seems everything always happens at once... hopefully I'll have one for you soon.

In the meantime, for anybody coming by today from Facebook... There is a MASSIVE pre-loved baby girls clothing sale going on at SpaNGle* and one lucky buyer is going to win one of these dresses:

Here's how:

1. One gift with purchase (GWP) will only occur if SpaNGle*s facebook page reaches another 20 likes before sale opens at 8pm (AEST) tonight.

2. If GWP is to be held (conditional upon above point) it will occur approximately 45minutes after sale start at 8:45pm.

3. Using the photo numbers of sale items to provide a number range, Random.org will be used to generate a winning number.

4. If the item corresponding to that number has been purchased that buyer will receive a complimentary SpaNGle* dress similar to that pictured above in the size of the item purchased.

5. If the corresponding item has not been purchased the process will be repeated every 5 minutes until someone wins!

6. BONUS.... if winner is a follower of this blog they will also receive a matching headband - but you must have left a comment below letting me know you are a follower PRIOR to the start of the sale!

7. Random.org screen shots will be added to this post to detail the winning number along with status and photo comment update to notify winner....

GOOD LUCK and don't forget to follow the blog and leave a comment below to be in with a chance at winning the headband too... oh and spread the word! We need to reach the magical extra 20 'likers'.

Cheers ☺

****UPDATE**** WINNER - Free Gift with purchase Winner as chosen by Random.org @8:45pm tonight..........

Congrats... Leonie SMITH - you pick up a free Flutter Sleeve Dress with your purchase!

Woo Hoo - time for a victory dance I say!

***NOTE: Oh, I just realised... in case anyone else was wondering... I removed two photo's from the Pre-loved sale album, after conducting the Gift with Purchase promotion and this changed the numbering on the photos with regards to who was the winner of the Gift With Purchase... Photo 117 received the bonus - that photo is now displayed as 115 but is still the lucky purchase item! ***

Thrift Shop Love...

2011-08-23T20:41:00.000+10:00

We all love a bargain don't we? And some of us love thrift shopping - where bargains can definitely be found a plenty (Here in Australia thrift shops are more commonly called Op Shops ie. opportunity shops)!

Here's a few of my latest thrifty 'opportune' finds:

I love retro, so imagine my joy when I stumbled across this gorgeous fully operational (and electrically tested) retro Sunbeam Mix Master...

It came with both milk bowls and the regular beater attachments! LOVE! So how much would you pay for this?

$10????

NO! Not $10 but only $8. That's right... only $8. I think I got an absolute bargain. It has a few signs of wear but considering its probably around 40 years old it's in really good nick! Besides, $8!!!!

I also really love retro patterns and picked up three super cute childrens patterns from the late 60's and 70's that really will still look cute and fashionable in comparison to modern girls dress fashions.

Here they are:

They are all complete too - with one even being uncut!

Now, I had to have a chuckle when I had a closer look at the patterns in the store because on the pocket sleeve one clearly stated this:

NOT SUITABLE FOR CHUBBY GIRLS

And another had this:

SUITABLE FOR CHUBBIES

I really don't think you would find this on any pattern out there these days! It made me chuckle... and feel a little sorry for any 'chubbies' back in the day.

But there you go... back in the 60's and 70's it apparently was okay to be what now I think might be considered a little in your face! ☺

Happy Days and I hope to have you back soon... leave a comment, let me know what you think of my finds or just say hello - I love receiving and reading your comments!

Cheers ☺

Sugar City Village Frock

2011-08-22T12:04:00.001+10:00

I have for a long time eyed off the Sugar City Village Frock with such envy and disappointment that the pattern is no longer available... Such a gorgeous and unique, somewhat retro style that makes me want one in my own size! This dress pattern truly seems to have a cult following!

Some time back, through the kindness and amazing generosity of another fellow blogger - from the other side of the globe no less - (who at this point shall remain nameless, lest she be absolutely bombarded with pleading requests!) I was able to have a lend of this amazing pattern to whip up a Village Frock for my Big Little Miss M... ah LOVE! My somewhat crazy love affair with this dress is now complete - although I know I will be making both my girls more of this super cute, very trendy dress!

And to the gorgeous blogger who sent the pattern all the way across the ocean - you know who you are - I have a surprise on its way as a very grateful THANK YOU!

Here's my big girls VERY OWN Sugar City designed Village Frock:

The fabric is a super soft, light weight, black and white herringbone fabric which just drapes BEAUTIFULLY... however is a bit of a pain to cut and sew - being a soft woven fabric it tended to move a bit much like cutting and sewing satin of all things (strangely); it also suffers terribly from excessive fraying... nothing a quick serge on all the seams didn't fix, but it still made all the gathering just a little more interesting ☺.

Here's a close up of the fabric and the amazingly cute ladybug buttons:

And on the dress:

A little more Village Frock love:

And just because my other little munchkin is a lil cutie patootie too.... Little Little Miss M:

Bad camera shot/settings... but still gorgeous...

So, do you harbour an unhealthy love affair with the Village Frock or another pattern? I'd love to know!

Cheers

Sharing this little project over at these fabulous linky parties....
Sew Can Do

Heavenly Imbibed Hazelnut Hybrid...

2011-08-20T03:20:00.006+10:00

I love when I find the time to bake... I've often thought that I am a better, more balanced and generally more pleasant person to be around when I've had a chance to bake or cook something special. I guess it's somewhat cathartic to be able to start with a selection of ingredients, then to combine, mix, blend and bake up a storm to create something delicious and special to share with friends and family. I do believe they (whoever 'they' are) are right when they say that cooking comes from the heart and can be an expression of love.

Here's my latest baking effort.... I give you my Frangelico Hazelnut Cake & Nutella Cheesecake Hybrid....

"Heavenly Imbibed Hazelnut Hybrid"

It is basically a Nutullea Cheesecake sandwiched between a Frangelico Hazelnut Cake that has been glazed with Nutella ganache.

Now, the separate recipes are not my own but have been tweaked a little by me and based on some gorgeous recipes that really hold their own individually... but sometimes when you can not decide between two recipes there's not much else to be done but to combine them and have both!

Here's the photo that first gave me the inspiration (compliments of my Pinterest addiction - you can follow my pinterest addiction HERE if so inclined... I love the company - let me know your email in the comments if you'd like an invite!)...

Now, I'm led to believe that the cake is a Cheesecake Factory Hershey Chocolate Bar Cheesecake. I almost instantly fell in love with the idea of combining cake and cheesecake... so began the search for a suitably decadent cake and cheesecake to replicate this little beauty!

It only seemed fitting that due to my new found obsession with Nutella that the cheesecake be a Nutella cheesecake (inspiration recipe can be found HERE at Chocolate Suze) and then it seemed to make sense that a hazelnut cake should complete the hybrid. And to cut a long story short that then reminded me of a friends love affair with the liqueur Frangelico and after a rather quick Google - because honestly "if you can't google it, it cannot be done" - I found the perfect recipe HERE. A word of warning though - after making the batter and before changing it up a little it became apparent to me that either something was missing from the recipe or the photo was in fact not a product of the recipe listed (original recipe has no cocoa yet photo clearly depicts a dark chocolate cake... trust me - the chocolate alone will never give you a cake that dark... also the pictured cake doesn't have the texture or colour variation/speckle that the addition of ground hazelnuts gives a cake)!?!

But anyhow and here's what I did... I stuck mostly with the original recipes (reduced quantities) but with a few little tweaks here and there - let me know if you give this baby a go... I'd love to see some photos too!

"Heavenly Imbibed Hazelnut Hybrid" :

THE FRANGELICO CAKE...

· 150g roasted hazelnuts (finely ground in food processor)

· 180g Self Raising flour

· 3 Tbs Cocoa

· 3 large eggs

· 225g caster sugar

· 1 level teaspoons baking powder

· 150g salted butter, melted and cooled

· 60ml milk

· 75ml Frangelico

· 95g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids (finely ground in food processor)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Line the base of a 20cm spring form cake pan with baking paper, then grease and flour base and sides lightly

In separate bowl combine flour, hazelnuts and cocoa

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and baking powder for about 10 minutes until very thick and mousse-like. Next, using a large metal spoon, lightly fold in the butter, milk and half of the Frangelico, followed by the nut-flour mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until well risen and golden, or when a fine skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Discard the paper.

Using a fine skewer, carefully pierce holes all over the top of the cake, then trickle with the rest of the Frangelico.

***Now wrap the cake in plastic wrap and place into freezer whilst preparing cheesecake - this will make cutting the cake layers so much easier***

THE NUTELLA CHEESECAKE...

2 level tsp gelatine

1/4 cup boiling water

125g Marscapone Cheese

125g Cream Cheese (softened)

50g Icing Sugar

200g Nutella

1/4 cup Thickened Cream

Dissolve gelatine in boiling water and set aside to cool slightly whilst continuing.

In electric mixer, beat the cheeses and icing sugar till smooth.

Add Nutella and beat till combined then add cream and continue beating until mixture is blended and glossy.

Gradually beat in gelatin mixture and combine well.

THE CONSTRUCTION:

Remove Frangelico cake from freezer and using a suitably sharp knife cut the cake horizontally to create the two layers.

Place bottom layer of cake on serving plate and place the spring form pan without it's base around the cake. Spoon cheesecake mixture onto the base and smooth before gently placing top layer of cake on top.

Cover and place in refrigerator overnight to set.

The next day run a warm butter knife around the cake to help release and remove the spring form edges.... and yes admire your cake combination for a moment before proceeding...

TO MAKE GANACHE:

150g Nutella

150ml thickened cream

1/4 cup icing sugar

Over a low heat and stirring continuously melt nutella with cream. Once well combined allow to cool before using mixer to mix in icing sugar. Cover sides and top of cake with ganache and if desired decorate sides of cake with chocolate buttons or similar.

So there you have it... Enjoy... Share the love... leave me a comment - let me know what you think... Become a follower if you like (I know I like ☺) I love hearing from you all!

Oh and did I mention this cake is totally fat free? HAH! This is definitely not for the faint hearted... my fat cells are throwing a party over this one!!! ☺

Meanwhile I'll be partying over at:
Its a Hodgepodge Life
Fingerprints on the Fridge
Sassy Sites
The Crafty Nest
Mad in Crafts

DIY Super Simple Asymmetrical Top

2011-07-23T23:02:00.001+10:00

Well, I know I've said it before... but I will say it again - I really have neglected my poor blog. I really am trying to organise home, family, home sewing and everything in between to get more balance and it feels like I'm getting there - which is the important thing - and I hope that this will mean I will get more blogging and sewing for my girls done.

I'm going to change a little about my home sewing and selling to minimise custom orders and move more towards selling ready made one of a kinds - the custom order sewing is really taking away from sewing for my two princesses and lately, sadly, it has been sapping some of the joy I normally feel from creating and sewing handmade items.

But anyhow, moving on....

A couple of days ago I was digging around the shed in a half hearted effort to sort some boxes that have remained unpacked for over a year now. This is one piece of clothing I found...

I made this top over 4 years ago as a maternity top when I was pregnant with Big Little Miss M. But I wore it today (as above) and really think it doesn't look too bad as a regular kind of top. Being no slim svelte waify model type I also really like that it's kind of a cover up for any lumps and bumps!!!

It is the most simple top to make and here's how you can turn 2 metres (or 2 yards) into a fabulous top (this in fact be enough fabric for TWO so you'll have a spare or one for a gift)...

You can make this with so many different types of fabrics - jersey, sheers, cotton voiles, lace or like I have a knit - although it will hang better using light fabrics.

Take 2 metres (or 2 yards) of fabric.
Fold in half so your fabric is now 1 metre (or yard) doubled over with right sides together.
Cut in half lengthways (parallel) to the selvedges (this now gives you the fabric for the two tops)
Measure approx 50cm (19.5") along top edge (with fabric still doubled over R/S together) and sew a 10cm (4") seam to create the shoulder seam
Hem the neckline opening
....and if you're fabric doesn't fray or need hemming, that's it - YOU'RE DONE!!!
If it needs hemming just hem all the open edges or get creative and use bias trim (I've got the other half of mine with bias packed away somewhere...)

Throw your top on, add a belt or not and TAA DAA - you should definitely have time for a victory dance!

Belt or no belt - I think I prefer the belt... when I was pregnant I always wore this without one though

Such a quick and easy sewing project that I think I will have to whip up a couple more!

All my measures are approximates and can be changed up to make the top longer etc... with only a few modifications this could also be made into a dress (might have to give this a try when the weather warms up).

So, get creative - add some trims, bias, a brooch or buckle, a yo-yo or embellishment or two!

Hope it inspires you some as it really is such an easy, quick sewing project that I think is flattering on most figures (please tell me if I'm delusional and suffering some body dysmorphic issues - as I think it looks alright!)

If you have any questions about this tute or want a little more help or explanation with it please feel free to email or comment. (What makes sense to me, sometimes makes sense to no one else but me☺)

Cheers & hope to be back soon with some more tutes/refashions! ☺

Those 70's patterns and a mermaid too!

2011-06-29T01:50:00.000+10:00

Well the mid year school holidays are almost upon us here! I don't have school age youngsters (both Big Little & Little Little are pre-school) but Big Little Miss M goes to 3 year old kinder once a week.

This past Monday being the last day of term for the kiddies was a dress up as your favourite super hero, character, occupation etc... Now, we only had a weeks notice of the dress up day and in part because of what felt like week long birthday celebrations for Big Little Miss M it was mid afternoon Sunday before I remembered that she needed a costume for the next morning.... PANIC STATIONS!!!

Now we have a costume or two about the house but they are pretty much princess or fairy related but my little lovely had specifically asked to go as Ariel... she has a major mermaid thing going on at present and I had told her earlier in the week that I'd make her an Ariel costume for the day! Argggh!

So, mad dash to the fabric store (approx 75km round trip) just before closing time and surprisingly Ariel wasn't too hard to whip up!

My Big Little Miss (newly 4) M loved it ... (and for some reason insisted on doing a teapot pose 'cause that's what mermaids do apparently)

Oooh... and check out these fabulous (well I think so anyway) patterns from the 70's (click on photo for larger view)! I found them at one of the local op/thrift stores for 50c a piece and the pattern papers are both complete and uncut!

I love the jacket on the left - the sash belt, wide lapels and the slightly puffy sleeve shoulders - and the dress tunic on the very right - just minus the strangely placed flap pocket smack bang centre chest...

Actually, I think I love it all... even the wide leg, high waisted pants that may not be all that flattering on me..

The jacket and pant set pattern is from 1974 and the tunic/shirt and pant set is from 1977 but I really do think some of this style has crept back in (it does go in a circle doesn't it?) ... and even if it hasn't I'd still wear it!

Hope your week is going wonderfully and chat to you again soon!

Cheers xoxo

The teapot cake...

2011-06-26T15:22:00.003+10:00

Just a quick stop by to show off Big Little Miss M's birthday cake I made for her party this Saturday.... remember I told you how I had gained my inpiration from the teapot cake?

Well, here's my version of something similar... Big Little loved it (but I have a sneaking suspicion all ~~three~~ four year olds love cake regardless of the shape it comes in!)

It took me three baking attempts to get the ball cake right (first wouldn't come out of the pan - last time I follow the directions on greasing tins... butter and flour all the way!... second one didn't rise enough to be ball shaped and looked more like a flying saucer) BUT I am glad I persisted (I was NOT going to be baking a fourth cake!)

So, what do you think... I'm pretty happy with it and now I have almost a year before our birthdays all strike again!

***You can find the recipe I like to use for both the buttercream and the marshmallow fondant in THIS POST***

Cheers & see you all soon with a refashion or two ☺

More baking, cakes and sweets...

2011-06-24T20:44:00.000+10:00

Well, normally I blog about refashions but lately my posts have been a little sparse and sporadic... the middle of the year in our household is just a little crazy - all our birthdays occur in May and June!

Cake Pops with Rainbow swirled butter cream frosted cupcakes ☺

So... much like my last post this one features some of my kitchen creations for my Big Little Miss M's fourth birthday.

My first attempt at two tone swirled butter cream frosting

Pinterest and all the lovely eye candy featured amongst its fabulous pins has provided most the inspiration for my cake and birthday creations...

Chocolate Spoons

Now to get them all wrapped for the party... one down 99 to go!

After all the craziness of this week is over I will go a little more in depth with some links to inspiring photo's and some wonderful recipe/cooking tutorials... but for now I still have a cake to decorate for tomorrow so I'll just leave you with snapshots of the finished (or partially finished) creations from the kitchen this week....

Cupcakes 'n' cake pops

CHEERS & ENJOY!

I hope to get back onto a refashion soon - I have a wardrobe full of potential just waiting!!!

xoxo

Mmmm.... cookies... nom... nom...

2011-06-19T22:48:00.002+10:00

My Big Little Miss M will be four in a few days :'(

I'm not quite sure where she learned this kinda odd but so her pose with the hand on the head... but it seems to be her photo pose of choice at the moment!?!

Anyhow, I've been baking so that she could take some cakes to kindergarten tomorrow to celebrate with her buddies.

First saw this on PINTEREST and since then all about internet-o-sphere... (you'll have to keep reading/scrolling to see what though ☺)

Take a whole lotta googly eyes (made from white choc melts with smaller milk choc melts attached with piping gel)

A bowl of super bright blue butter icing....

A bowl of blue dyed coconut... (I'm thinking you've probably guessed what's coming together by now...)

An oven full of chocolate cupcakes

... throw it all together with some choc chip cookies and there you have it...

"Nom... nom... nom.... I love cookies!!!"

~The Cookie Monster~

Take care... and stop by again soon! xo

Woops... should have given you the link which includes a fab how to video so you can make these super fab cupcakes too! CLICK HERE

Oh, and just because my girl is such a girly girl and wanted pink... The cookie monsters long lost city cousin, Conchita came by too! ☺

Cheers!

Little Little Miss M is TWO!!!

2011-06-02T00:25:00.000+10:00

Over the last week my little bubba turned two...

The time has flown and I cannot believe that she really is no longer a baby but a beautiful young girl with such amazing character and personality...

She is very physical in nature and likes to be hands on... affectionate and loving...

She is wilful and stubborn... which I'm sure will mean that later in life she will be determined and driven...

She has a curious streak and must know how everything works by opening it, shutting it, dropping it, pulling it apart and banging it about a bit...

She is not happy to accept things merely to look at... which I think will translate to a healthy want to find out what makes things tick...

I love the little personality that I can see developing before me, I love the uniqueness of all her quirks and traits....

She is expressive beyond words (which she uses little of at this point)... I love that her eyes tell a story... or give away the mischief...

I am thankful for all the moments that are created... for its the moments that make the memories!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
my little pumpkin...
I wish you every happiness and for you to know that you are ALWAYS loved...
for every moment of every day... for all eternity xoxo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So now, what's a birthday if there's no cake???
There MUST always be cake!

I made some ice cream cone cupcakes and a little cake to take to her playgroup...

For my first attempt at these wonderful little individual cakes I'm pretty happy how they turned out! So easy to make but still pretty impressive (and the kids just loved having their own cone to eat!).
I wrote Little Little Miss M's name across the cake... and if you're wondering why it's looking a little blank it's because I have edited the name from the photo for personal reasons ☺

I might add the recipe and 'how to' for these fabulous cakes in the next couple of days if you'd like to know how to recreate them (I certainly didn't come up with the idea but can give you the how to on how I have made my ones)... Let me know and I'll get onto it!

I also made another 'official' cake for our home celebration on her actual birthday...

It was only a family affair this year (after all she is only two... )

Each year I love creating a different cake for my girls, but at the moment I make the same kind of cake but different designs for each of my girls...

For their first birthday it was princess cakes with the doll (dolly varden style cake)...

Second birthdays were castles... (as you can see from Little Little Miss M's castle cake)...

Big Little Miss M's third birthday was a carousel cake ... (and her fourth which is in about 3 weeks is coming up soon... I know what I'm making but you'll have to wait and see and check back sooner to the date to see a preview or catch a hint at that one!)

I love the thrill and excitement and the way their eyes light up when they see their cake... it makes it more than worth the effort!

This castle cake was a fairly straight forward and quick to put together cake... but I think it still looks impressive enough (especially to a big two year old!)

Cheers till next time xoxo

I love... CAKE!

2011-05-24T00:54:00.000+10:00

I've been missing my blog... things are still busy but becoming more manageable (I think ☺).

We are finally over our shared family flu - we even ventured out yesterday for a lovely day strolling the shops in a nearby touristy town...

we had ice cream (pistachio gelato - YUM)...

we had cookies (oh and a heavenly hot hot coffee)...

we bought fabric from a quilt shop sale...

got the grocery shopping done and had a wander through the plant nursery...

I even happened upon a little inspiration - which is always nice ☺

I have an exciting week coming up.... My Little Little Miss M will be turning TWO!!! And birthdays mean cake! I love LOVE LOVE cake!

Here's my little pumpkin.... gosh I love her teeth (and the rest of her too - but my, how I hope her adult teeth look as good as her bubby ones!)

(Please ignore that irritating pile of laundry to be folded and my strategic attempt to hide it behind a watermark!)

I can't believe how fast the two years has gone... birthdays always make me reminisce. The memories of the pregnancy, those first contractions, that first cuddle and everything between then and now... Yes, my girls do drive me crazy at times but no words could ever adequately give meaning to how full of love they fill my entire being and world....

Anyway, that's enough gushing for now and here's a look back the cakes I made for my girls birthdays last year:

Big Little Miss M's birthday

Little Little Miss M's 1st birthday

And here's what I'll be baking this year (small cakes preview only... you'll have to check back over the next week to see the 'reveal' of her actual birthday cake ☺)

Love these ice cream cone cakes... perfect to take along to playgroup to share... I want to make something like this (but just a little different too...) Fingers crossed they work for me - I've never made these before (any tips would be ever so appreciated too)!

SOURCE: bakerella.com

And these super cool and fun Cookie Monster Cupcakes...

And to decorate with some gorgeous giant crepe paper pom poms... in purple, lilac and cream...

SOURCE: marthastewart.com

Ooooh, how I love birthdays and creating special memories ☺

Cheers for now and come back soon... and you're more than welcome to leave a comment - I love them almost (but not quite) as much as cake!

How time flies... even when you're not having fun!

2011-05-12T18:30:00.000+10:00

Wow... where did the last 2 weeks go? I feel like they just flew by and my poor neglected blog has just sat idle... waiting... waiting... waiting for a new post!

Well, I am still here - trying to sort things and really get organised so that I can manage not only my blog and my online selling of handmade SpaNGle* items but the most important thing of all... homelife with my gorgeous girls and husband. I think I need to come up with a timetable of sorts because lately it seems that one thing bleeds into another and the result is that none of my endeavours or family are really getting the attention they need or deserve.

The house is a mess... it's cold and miserable outside... we are all getting our second round of colds for the year... and yep, this early taste of winter is causing a little of the winter blues to set in!

So, give me a few more days (I've got a bundle of sewing orders to get through), I will be working on a timetable/schedule for day to day things - because it's come to the point that if I don't have one I'm just not going to get things done... and not getting things done is really stressful!

And then, hopefully I'll be back with a vengeance (and a whole lot of newly inspired creations to share) and a plan... after all one of my resolutions was to become more organised this year and at present it's looking like a fail!

I guess we all go through periods where everything kind of takes over and it feels like everything is hurtling along with no real direction or control - I just need to stop, take a breath, look around and find some focus again ☺

In the meantime... here's a few inspiring photo's and links to some really awesome projects and ideas I've come across on Pinterest...

The DIY fingerprint Jewellery tutorial over at Sara Hortega's Photography Blog I am going to have to find time to try this! I've always wanted my girls fingerprints on some jewellery - and this is definitely a cost effective way of achieving some!

And because it will be soon Little Little Miss M's second birthday and a month later Big Little Miss M's fourth birthday I'm starting to think about all things birthday and party....

These Chocolate Party Spoons will definitely be making an appearance at Big Little Miss M's party! The how to on making these simple but stunning party treats can be found at Delicious Delicious Delicious

This teapot cake will be my inspiration for Big Little Miss M's cake this year... I don't know the original source site for this photo but if you do I'd love know because they've done a gorgeous job with this cake creation!

Some party favour cones that can be found at this Finnish site - I think these would look fab in pinks hung above a candy buffet...

So Cheers for now and I'll be back really soon... if time continues to fly along like it has been lately it'll be before you (and I) know it...

Amongst other things... I'm working on being more organised

2011-04-30T21:42:00.000+10:00

Here are a few things I've been working on... mostly they should have been done long ago. Being organised is definitely a skill I was not gifted with.

Anyhow, I'll continue to work on my organisation skills but in the meantime here are some projects I did complete (and know that there are still a few that I'm working on...)

Pillow covers being sent up north for a cause (which should have been done a while ago - I hope they can still be put to use though...)

Another set of overalls... I absolutely have fallen in love with this fabric!

Here's a close up of the fabric... loving the gorgeous butterflies

And another denim set...

Some fun with the girls drawing... (sorry about the really poor photo quality - I'm still lamenting the permanent breakdown of my 'good' camera and haven't committed to a new one yet - those babies are expensive!)

I'd never heard of newspaper end rolls before... see the massive roll of paper above? That's a newspaper end roll (I learned of them during the PATTERN DRAFTING COURSE I did as we used them to draw up our block patterns). They are a bargain... picked it up at the local newspaper office for $7 - there's plenty for the girls to draw and paint to their hearts content and still plenty for me too!

Such a great way to fill an hour or two... Here's one of the pieces that now adorns their bedroom wall:

Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend... and if I get a little more organised I'll have another tutorial posted in the next few days - something a little different this time, not a clothing refashion but rather an update of sorts to a rather ugly home fixture! ☺
Cheers

Heart warming...

2011-04-28T00:22:00.000+10:00

I couldn't help but share... my new favourite photo of my two lovelies:

Ahhh... I live for these moments ☺

Happiness is...

2011-04-27T00:17:00.003+10:00

Happiness can be... so many different things.

Today, I made some bunting - bright, bold and colourful... just looking at it made me feel a little happier

There's just something fun & cheery about bunting that makes me smile... I hope you all had a moment (or more) of happiness today...

I used THIS tutorial, just with a few modifications... I like to top stitch, so all my flags were top stitched - I think it just helps them to hang and retain their shape better, and I put loops on the very ends of the bias tape to make hanging a little easier...

Oh, and of course... these two gorgeously funny monkeys make me happy every day:

Cheers

The how to NO-KNIT knitted cowl...

2011-04-24T01:54:00.015+10:00

This is a super easy, super quick transformation tutorial...

As I mentioned in my last post it's been getting colder down south here in Australia so I've been rugging up and trying to keep warm. I keep seeing on Etsy and many other sites some gorgeous knitted cowls - I think they are fabulous and it got me thinking about making some for myself... only thing is, I'll admit I can knit but there is no speed nor uniformed tension involved, together with high likelihood of dropped stitches... so no wonderfully gorgeous cowl was going to fall from the ends of my knitting needles... hmmm, what's a girl to do... well - I'll stick to what I love, REFASHIONING!

My lovely S.I.L gave me a couple of jumpers she no longer wanted but they were much smaller than I'll ever be...

So, I decided to turn them into these:

And here's how you can do the same with an old, ill fitting or thrift shop jumper... this project cost me absolutely nothing - pretty much a freebie 'cept for the usual things I already had like thread for my machine... WOO HOO!!! Plus, the whole refashion can pretty much be done within 30 - 40 minutes - PERFECT ☺

Woo Hoo... do a little dance it's pretty much done - I whipped up two but then decided to 'pretty' them up a bit with a flower brooch...

TO MAKE FLOWER:

And there you have it... the NO-KNIT knitted cowl... I love them and you can bet I now will be keeping an eye out in the thrift stores for some brilliantly coloured knits to cut up and refashion... I want a whole rainbow selection of these lovely cowls. (I simply attached the flowers to felt circles and a couple of brooch pins- that way they can be worn with or without the flower and also makes for easier laundering)

As an extra bonus, the two original jumpers have rolled necks and are the perfect size for turning into Jnr. cowls... for my little lovelies, Big Little & Little Little Miss M... will post some photo's of the kiddie versions soon...

I'd love to know what you think of this refashion... one of my first that's actually for grown ups (yep that's me... lol)... Leave a comment, become a follower, check out some of my other posts - I'd love the company!

Cheers

I'll be linking up to the fabulous parties at these blogs:
Pinkapotamus
The Girl Creative
Making the World Cuter
Sumo Sweet Stuff
Nifty Thrifty Things
Craft o Maniac
Skip to My Lou
Between Naps on the Porch
C.R.A.F.T.
Keeping it Simple
I Heart Naptime
Tatertots and Jello
Sassy Sites

Ladybug Blessings

Sugar Bee Crafts
Todays Creative Blog
Sew Chatty
The Creative Itch
Funky Polka Dot Giraffe

Fabric Bows and More
My Girlish Whims

Simply Designing

Its a HodgePodge Life