Monday, September 26, 2011

Bling Baby Beanie

My friend M from Hong Kong is expecting a baby in November so I've knitted a beanie for the baby. It's actually my third attempt as I didn't like the baby yarn on the first two beanies I made. I ended up using Sullivans 4 ply marino baby wool, and it was so soft and silky to knit with. No doubt the baby will be the height of sophistication like her mummy so I added a bling buckle and a pink bow. I followed this pattern using 3.25cm needles.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Rose Macaroons


In celebration of my favourite colour (if you haven't picked up on that - it's pink), Mum and I made rose flavoured macaroons on Sunday. The recipe is from Women's Weekly's Macaroons and Biscuits cookbook, and we added 1 teaspoon of Pariya Persian rose water into the macaroon batter.


I was rather particular about the size of the macaroons so I used a Mathomat (I can't believe I still have it; not that I used it much during school, but it has come in handy for scrapbooking, and macaroon templates) to draw 4cm circles on the baking paper (remember to have the side that you drew on at the bottom).
The macaroon was a deeper shade of pink on the inside and there was just a sweet fragrant hint of rose.


Friday, September 23, 2011

Christmas Sequin Baubles


My friend D who lives in Sydney probably rolled her eyes and thought I was a complete nutter when I told her that I have been making sequin baubles for Christmas. Well it's only three months until the holiday season so why not start preparing now? Not that we celebrate Christmas but I do put up a tree each year. I like what the season represents - a reminder of what is important in life - spending time family and friends (oh ok, I do enjoy hunting for bargains at the sales too).

I'm going for a silver theme this year so I've started making sequin baubles as I find it rather therapeutic pinning beads and sequins into Styrofoam balls. I'm using a variety of silver beads, stars, sequins in various sizes and alternating between pinning the sequins in a concave and convex pattern to give the baubles texture. I've also dipped the pins into a little PVA glue for extra hold.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

My Pink Tulle Gown

I remember way back in the 1980s (yes way back then) when Mum and I watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time. I was in awe when Glinda the Good Witch appeared on screen wearing a huge pink gown, and I've loved tulle ever since.

I was browsing through Etsy a few weeks ago when I came across a dress from AmyShope which I just had to have. The lovely Amy agreed to make me a pink dress with extra layers of tulle (6 rather than 4) for extra puffiness. I was thinking about having 10 layers but Amy said that 6 was more than sufficient, and she was right as I would have ended up looking like I was on "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" (gasp! - no I am NOT getting married, calm down). The dress was made to my measurements (my first haute couture) and arrived within 2 weeks of my order.

Since I have no special occasion to wear this gown and I bought it purely because of my love of tulle, it's currently hanging in my room so I can admire it like a piece of art. As Sheldon Cooper said in the Big Bang Theory: "What's life without whimsy?"


Barbie Dolls: In the Pink and Glinda The Good Witch

Monday, September 19, 2011

Savoury Muffins


I'm been enjoying the great outdoors the past couple of weeks hence I haven't been cooking or crafting as much. On Saturday I walked from Heidelberg to Eltham Train Station with a Meetup walking group. It was suppose to be 17km, but after heading in the wrong direction (3 times) we ended up covering 19.1km! The previous Saturday we walked from Darling Train Station to Federation Square in the cold (6*C) and rain and covered 12km. Needless to say, I've been a bit tired but feel fantastic.

Mum and I baked these muffins on Sunday since I complained that the blueberry and raspberry muffins we usually make are no longer exciting. The savoury muffin is super easy and very tasty.

  • 2 cups of plain flour
  • 200g shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons of corn kernels
  • 1/2 red capcisum (chopped)
  • 4 spring onions (chopped)
  • 200 shaved ham (chopped)
Mix everything together and scoop generously into muffin tins. We ended up making 9 Texan sized muffins and the aroma was just mouth watering.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Lemon Cupcakes for Fathers Day

We don't celebrate Mothers or Fathers Day in our family because we feel one should value and spend time with one's parents as much as we can, rather than making them feel special for one day of the year. Nevertheless I did bake lemon cupcakes on Sunday to celebrate sweetness life can bring. Mum ate most of the the mini cupcakes in the belief that she was only eating a small portion of a regular size cupcake...but if you eat 7...
  Mum wanted me to take a photo of her African Violets for this blog as she is very proud that it has bloomed 22 flowers!