I don’t have any pictures for you today, I was so busy and it was so murky, weather wise, until I went out. I had loads of left over butter and eggs, so I thought I’d do some light baking on Sunday to use them up. I burnt the cupcakes oops! but had one egg left so made these. I think I used brazil nut instead of the usual hazelnut but both are good. I made a half measure and popped the rest in the freezer. If you are not lazy like me you can freeze spoonfuls on a sheet and then bake straight from frozen.

This recipe is my go to cookie recipe. I’m generally not a biscuit person and don’t buy them often. Cookies, especially freshly baked ones, are a different matter! This makes 24 medium sized american style cookies.

Double Choc Chip Cookes

Ingredients:

• 115g Butter (softened plus a bit for greasing)
• 115g Plain Flour
• 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 55g of Golden granulated Sugar (Regular will do)
• 55g Light Muscavado Sugar
• 115g White Chocolate chips
• 55g Hazelnut (You can substitute another nut or more choc chips)
• 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
• 1 beaten egg
• half a cap of Vanilla essence

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4 and grease 3 baking sheets (2 if you have the larger kind). Place the butter and both sugars in a bowl and beat with a hand blender till light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Gradually beat in the egg and vanilla. It may look like it’s turned at this point don’t worry!
• Sift the flour (Unless it’s super sifted, gotta love that stuff!), cocoa and bicarb in to the mixture and stir in slowly. Don’t over mix. Once combined and the chocolate chips and nuts.
• Drop large tablespoons full of mixture on to the baking sheets leaving a good couple of inches between each one. You should get 6-9 depending on your baking sheet size.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes. Shorter baking times produce a gooier cookie, leave in longer for a crisp cookie.
• Let stand on the tray for a couple of minutes and then transfer with a spatula to a cooling rack.

Enjoy! They will keep for a couple of days in an air tight container but probably you’ll eat them before then .

This afternoon I went fabric shopping and picked up some gorgeous fabric for my new bag. I’m pretty excited about getting started on it now. I had wanted to use the original fabric from the pattern as I loved it but that shade isn’t available from a UK stockist and then I found this fabric on sale!

It’s usually almost 20 pounds a metre I got it for 6, that’s more than half price! I probably wouldn’t have bought it at 20 but at 6 how could I not?

Here’s a pattern swatch:

My momma also bought me a present! More because she couldn’t believe they make them than anything!

It’s a phone… and it moos! It’s so cute!! It doesn’t have to moo, it has a normal ringer too but I think it should lol. I want to put it in my kitchen but I need to run a cord through first. So it sits in my living room instead!

Time for dinner, for now!

A quick little update before I go get ready to go out (I know it’s only 11 but it will take me hours… trust me). Richards been and gone. Sods law would have it that last night I couldn’t sleep, for fear I would over sleep! So I woke every 2 hours or so till it was 7am and I couldn’t take it any more. I’m glad I did though…

Look who came to visit!

Messing up my rug! I forgive her though, it’s going in the wash any who. Think I’ll have to put a scratchy thingy outside. My neighbours have adopted one of the stray kitties that lives round here. When I first moved in their mother used to come by my kitchen often. I’ve named her Kitty but my neighbours called her Pundy. I’ve been feeding her kitten food for a bit but today I managed to catch a snap when she came in to explore! I made careful not to touch her though for fear of allergies. I’m still not sure if I’m allergic to cats…

Here’s photo’s of the finished cakes before I get off to get ready! I’m really looking forward to it!

Have a great weekend all!

Bit of a late one today. I did promise myself I would try and blog every monday and every friday so here I am!

I am absolutely exhausted! I’ve spent all evening baking and icing. 24 cupcakes and too large cakes (which will become a victoria sponge tomorrow, I swear I make too many of those!) and that’s not including having to run to the shops a total of 6 times for ingredients I forgot or ran out of :S. I feel so happy to be able to relax! I bought a new petal nozzle in a decent size and I’ve improved no end yay! I didn’t but one of those rose pin things I just used a wine glass with a flat bottom. I think it worked just as well.

Yes that’s my fridge I am too tired for pretty photos and I was not sure I’d get a chance to take any tomorrow. Richard is coming at 10:30 (!!!) to get both sets of cakes. So up early for me yomorrow to finish. Oh and my kitchen looks like a bomb hit it. Not good!

I also finished a really cute gift set.

The lady that requested it wanted something that could go for a boy or a girl.

I’m too exhausted to blog any more. So I’ll leave you here.

I go to get the mail to be greeted by this package.

Goodies from mama to feed my new sewing obsession. I’m practising putting in zips. I love how she addressed it to Dan-Dan . I’ve been sewing and crafting my little heart out lately. It’s so much fun!

As part of the UK Swap, my upstream pal sent me something that has spurred a mini crafting explosion. I’m not sure if I blogged about this before but I have a cow themed kitchen. When I first moved in, I started covering my kitchen cupboards in cow print vinyl. Well I ran out before I’d cut out all I needed. I went back the Woolies for some more and they told me the range had been discontinued, Oh no! I searched other Woolworths in case they had some in stock but none did. Then guess what arrived through my letter box?! At first I was baffled as to what this envelope was. I thought maybe it was the muslin I ordered but why was it so heavy??? Because it was the exact vinyl I needed! I was so happy I did a little jig right there in the hall, good thing none of my neighbours came out hehe.

So now the cow themed kitchen is back on! I got back out the canvases I had meant to do. One is covered in cow print and the other 2 will have cow silhouettes. Need a little black paint for that. I also made myself a cow print apron and plan to make some oven gloves and other kitchen accessories to match. I’m very excited now! The whole rest of my little flat is cream (with icky blue carpet I didn’t choose) so the kitchen is somewhere I can assert my personality in a non permanent way.

Thanks Mystery swap pal!

As well as those lovely things, we’re having lovely weather. A few showers but mostly lovely and warm and I’m thoroughly enjoying it while my hayfever is on the milder side. I’ve spent many a sunny evening in my living room which gets flooded with light between around 5 and 8 sewing. My new sewing machine has fuelled a new expensive habit! Buying pretty (*cough* designer) fabric. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with any of it when I but it but I just love the prints and colours. I mainly just buy one or two fat quarters of each but I bought this pattern for Amy Butler’s Sophia Carry All. I think it may be a little advanced for me just now but something to work towards. I am so looking forward to making it though.

I decided Monday’s will now be recipe days. Sorry for the bad photo accidentally deleted the good ones and then they were all gone . My greedy family!

Today’s recipe is:

Cherry Bomb Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 175g Self Raising Flour
• 175g Golden Castor Sugar (regular caster/fine sugar will do)
• 175g Stork SB or Butter
• 3 eggs
• 200g Cherry pie filling

You will also need 12 muffin cases, a muffin tray, mixer, spoons and spatulas.

• Preheat your oven to 180c/350f/Gas Mark 4 and line your tray with papers.
• Add all your ingredients to the mixing bowl besides the cherry filling and mix until light and creamy looking.
• Take a tables spoon and place a large spoonful of mix into each case.
• Now get out your cherry filling. You can make this yourself or buy it in a can. Place a spoonful with 1-2 cherries in each case. Try as much as you can to keep it central but it doesn’t matter too much as the cake will rise around it any way.
• Top with the remainder of the mix spooning again on the center.
• Place in the middle of your oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch.
• Allow to cool slightly then turn out. Serve warm.

NB: These go really well with ice cream or topped with a little whipped cream. You can fill them with other pie filling for a variation.

I had a lovely weekend! Here I am chilling in the park.

I’m very tempted to airbrush that photo lol but still it’s a nice pic. My sister doesn’t want any photo’s with her in them up as she looks “fat” (Rolls eyes lol). Still we had fun, stopped off at a bar, drunk far too much and rolled on home at 5am hehe.

I’m still knackered from it!

That’s all I have time for today!

The UK Swap Question Three

Is there a TV programme you watch religiously?

There are few programs I watch religiously. I like Hollyoaks and I’m a big Simpson fan. I also like reality shows like Big Brother and Britains got talent but I don’t watch them religiously!

What TV programme(s) do you avoid like the plague?

I find the news depressing so I tend to avoid watching much of that and I hate most sports. Oh and anything gross like where people.

Is there a TV programme that you find works particularly well for knitting along to?

I love to stick on a movie, normally something I have seen before. Comedies work well as theres always some little bit you didn’t see the first time.

What was/is your favourite kids TV programme?

I still watch kids TV lol! I love to watch horrid henry or Dora the explorer with Leah and on my own if I am bored too. I might point out I HATE (yes strong words!) Sponge Bob, omg he’s so annoying.

I have things to blog about but I am watching Big Brother and it just got interesting!

What a lovely one it is too. Lovely and sunny. And what better treat on such a morning than yoghurt and fruit!

And yes, I do make my yoghurt look pretty each time I have it hehe. Would have been nicer with a little meringue crunch but this was healthier. It’s low fat greek style yoghurt with a teensy bit of maple syrup swirled in, in case you want to know…. I hate kiwi but it’s full of zinc which I could do with so I ate it any way. I also had a poached egg, aren’t I greedy?

I’ve just about got in, not had lunch yet as I had a pretty large breakfast and a smoothie in town, black currant and cherry yum! I had thought since it was cherry juice rather than cherries I’d be ok with my allergies but I did get a little itching. Nothing major. It was worth it! I also picked up a few socks for more sock monkeys. I couldn’t find any stripey socks but they will have to do. It was suggested I put them in my shop. I tried to find some baby socks too but they seem to have too many things that would look odd upside down on. I also picked up a new One Bag. Great to whack in my hand bag and pretty too. Oh and some great big A3 size folders for keeping my scraps of craft paper in. A great buy at 99p for 2.

I bought a great deal of fabric off ebay a little while back and am waiting eagerly for it. I think I ordered 5 different fat quarters. I do hope the postman doesn’t lose this one!

I need to clean house now. Happy Crafting!

That should be parcels plural. I have no idea. I ordered some things for my swap and they still haven’t come. I got an email yesterday and the lady say’s “Oh I forgot to send you parcel till today”, what kind of way is that to run a business. Not even a sorry, I’m hoping I will get the Monday so my package won’t be any later. Luckily my partners seem to be understanding. I hope they think it was worth the wait.

The other parcel is royal mails fault. They left me a “While you were out” card, even though I was home, so I arranged a redelivery online. This was on the 11th. 2 days later no parcel. Phone the sorting office, no answer. I rang and rang till I got the disconnected tone. I gave it a couple more days then arranged it again online. Was supposed to be delivered on Friday and still nothing. I seem to have such bad luck with post lately. I’m not sure who that parcel is from so if you sent me something lately and I haven’t blogged about it that is why.

On a lighter note, I’ve had a cold. I haven’t been taking my medication, bad Starry. I’m feeling ok but the plus side to feeling is icky is I get to laze around in bed and craft . No knitting or crochet as I have a dodgy finger from too much crochet. The nail bed is sore, so I’m letting it rest (Sorry Monnibo it’s taking me forever!). I’ve been making sock monkeys! I had started one ages ago for a friends birthday but it was taking ages hand sewing it. My mini stitch couldn’t handle the sock material well. So it need ears and the limbs sewn on and I was all sewed out. Since I won’t be seeing Anthony any time soon I didn’t rush to finish it but I was feeling crafty yesterday. Too bunged up to listen to music and watch TV but needing something to do.  So I decided to finish it. I used a mish mash of different tutorials as I liked the ones at Sockmonkey.co.uk but not the mouths, the origional wasn’t cute enough and no one had exactly what I wanted. I didn’t get it exactly right on the first one so I decided to make another and it was how I wanted it after unpicking the limbs and repositioning them a few times lol. Only thing I didn’t like was the ears. I’d like them more round  cup handle shapes Now I wish I had more socks as I want to make a few more. They are so fun to make! No pictures just yet in case Anthony reads this xD. Besides it needs a few finishing touches to it’s costume.

I feel pretty good today but still gonna laze about and take it easy. A few films I want to watch. Bewitched being one. It’s probably going to be really goofy but I’m in a goofy feel good movie mood. Prolly try and fashion a different kind of sock monkey out of a princess sock for Leah. She keeps asking me to make her something and I couldn’t think what to make her. I’ll let you know my progress.

I’ll leave you with something amusing…

Me bouncing and knitting hehe. Gotta multi-task! I might add that wasn’t today hehe.

Happy crafting till next time!

Which three guests (alive or not) would you invite to a dinner party and why?

Well the first one would have to be Jesus. How fascinating would that be? I’m sure he could clear up a few things. In fact that would probably be my only guest because we’d have a lot to talk about and He’d know more that anyone else surely… Since I have to pick three though I’d probably choose Stephen Smith (author of addict, one of my favourite books) as my second. There are many things about the book I’d like to discuss and am interested to know what he’s doing now. As my third probably Georgia O’Keefe as she influenced my studies in my early years. I’d ask her what inspired her and why she became a painter, I may even be cheeky and ask her to do something for me. That’d be pretty cool.

That was a rather short post! Must get on, lot’s to do. More blogging tomorrow!

I received my swap package from Ann of the Great Bootie Swap. Fun fun. It contained a lovely skein of Enigma yarn:

Lovely Colours

stitch markers and of course the booties!! They look huge next to my newborn ones haha. must take a comparrison shot. I was planning to give them away but I think I will keep them. I love the oriental style beads on the stitch markers too. Never can have too many of those. Yesterday my sister asked what’s the point in making stitch markers pretty if they don’t get left in the piece. Bless! She just doesn’t get it. I think she prolly will at some point the hording habit comes from all sides of the family.

I also made my first button hole! With my moms guidance via webcam. I always thought they’d be really difficult but they really weren’t. I don’t have any photos for you as I did them on scrap that I just threw away but I got a bit button hole.

I also entered a pair of my booties in the Micheal Miller Baby Bootie Contest. Not sure if I classify with my knitted version but I entered any way. Wish me luck!