All kinds of everything

So on a Sunday morning when i get the chance there is nothing i like better than a good old mooch round a car boot. Today was one such day. The weather was chilly and blowy but dry so off we went.


It's interesting what grabs you at a car boot. For Brett it's about anything and everything for me it's about books, recycled stuff and somethings that sometimes surprise me.


So today the first things i bought were from a friend of mine whom nearly a year ago ran into me doing a car boot and was instantly like, oh i can't look at your stuff. Didn't bother me and i saw this first tin, yes you hear me tin and was instantly attracted to it. I think it's about the colours and texture, not sure what I'll do with it but at 20p i know I'll find some use for it :)

The next thing i bought from the same friend was another tin, i think you can probably see why...

This little tin is just one of those that originally had sweets in it but it's kinda cute and it's wheels spin and i just thought it might brighten up a bit of the kitchen or something along with my Snowman tin that comes out.

Then i spotted this on a different table. I ummed and arrhed thinking would i make use of it and if so what would i put in it. In the end at 50p i thought yes i would use it, it goes with our decor and I'll find something small enough to pop in it nearer the time, cute isn't it :)

Infact with a new baby being born in December or there abouts that might work nicely :)

So that's me for today, might see if there are anymore on tomorrow and who knows what I'll find.

Challenge 42 and Get Sketchy Challenge 53

So i made this card up for Challenge 42 over at Michelle Perkett Studios the theme for this challenge was back to school. I also based this loosely on a sketch from Get Sketchy

So this is using Mary Margaret and as is my theme i paper piecing i used two different papers to achieve this result. Having done that i applied a clear ink pad and sprinkled clear embossing powder over her, twice infact. This made some of ink and colours bleed a little but as I've been doing quite a bit of distressing i didn't let it put me off lol. She is pretty shiny now which made it kinda difficult to photograph which is why i used several different shots so you can get the general gist of the card. I used a dream tag from some other coordinating papers, dream sequence kinda fits the events of the last few months trying to get my head round my son going to school, gosh where does the time go. I recycled some floral ribbon which came in a bag of crafty bits from someone i don't even know but inked it to co-ordinate with the other colours.I tried to keep it a bit girly as I'm planning to give this to my friends daughter for her birthday today. Anyway i hope you like it.

Baking Day - Tried and Tested Frogs

So today i was a bit undecided what to bake, i could go the safe route and do something I've already done or try something new. Usually i bypass recipes that requite cocoa but today i thought what's the worst that can happen so today i did no bake Frogs :)


This recipe requires


400g granulated sugar
110g butter
60g cocoa powder (sifted)
125ml milk
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
150g porridge oats
100g unsweetened desiccated coconut (i think mine was sweetened but hey)


Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.


Combine the sugar, butter and cocoa powder and milk in a saucepan over medium hear. Bring the mixture to the boil, whisking (stirring) occasionally to remove any lumps. Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil gently for 5minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Add the oats and coconut and stir to combine.


Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls of the mixture on to lined trays. Chill for at least 1 hour.


Peel the 'frogs' from the paper and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

This recipe is taken from this well thumbed book, i had to scan my favourite recipes in order to return this book to the library, i had had it a few weeks. I think this would be an excellent Christmas present suggestion don't you :)




I have to say i did lick a rather large spoonful of this when i had finished and found it pretty tasty so once they are cooled they are going to be pretty addictive but I'll keep you posted :)

They look great,

They taste great, even Brett finished one :)

This recipe made about the 35 suggested.

So i would give this recipe a 7/10

(might make these again without the cocoa just out of curiosity)

ICSketches 80

So here we are again, yesterday i knew i needed to make another card so i popped over to ICSketches and borrowed their new sketch.

I made this card up using Meljens Monday freebie which was so appropriate for the person I'm making it for (well i thought so) so i paper pieced it, looks like this is going to be my new method for some digital stamps lol. Played around with the sketch a bit and voila.

A Little Creative Time

So this morning i spotted two challenges care of Meljens Designs and couldn't help myself. A bit of paper piecing and voila :)

I think the Halloween theme is definitely getting the better of me as is the kinda distressed look, i used to think i hated it but I'm getting into it now. I had alot of Halloween stickers which have helped finish off the last two cards I've made. I am entering this in two challenges. Sketch 79 over at Inspirational Card Sketches - Meljens Designs found here and Challenge 21 over at Meljens Design Team and Challenge Blog found here.

The Challenges was to use this sketch 

and the other challenge was a colour challenge to use  Brown Orange and Teal, fun fun fun :)

Here's one i made earlier lol. I printed off a few different papers this morning so put this one together for a friends birthday.Thought i would share.

Recipe no. 3

Today i am using a recipe found here at Waitrose. This one has been in the cupboard a little while and i know I've used it several times. They are currently cooking in the oven and cooling on the rack :)

Ingredients

125g butter, softened
100g light brown soft sugar
125g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
200g chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Slowly add the egg and vanilla, beating between each addition. Sift in the flour and salt and mix. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. Roll the mix into balls the size of hazelnuts. Put on baking sheets lined with baking parchment (bake in batches). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just golden. Cool on a rack and serve.

I have to say after making the Flapjack cookies at the beginning of the week they take some beating!

First impressions

They look great,

  They taste great,these are crunchy cookies as apposed to chewy but very moorish.

This recipe made enough to fill a plastic biscuit box

So i would give this recipe a 7/10

Stop Oh Yes Wait A Minute Mr Postman

Ok so yesterday i had a fantastic parcel come all the way from my dear friend Senta in Utah. I've never met Senta but like one or two ladies across the pond in the states we've become really good friends, as much as you can when you never see each other, thank goodness for Email, Facebook and Skype. So last year me and Senta decided to have a crafty swap which was great fun. This year we thought we'd do another one. It's sometime since we agreed to have another one but these things take time amongst all the normal day to day things we have going on. Anyway my parcel to Senta went a few weeks ago and she has it now and loved all her goodies only one of which i think i have a picture of which I'll try and add. Mine came yesterday and i have been stalking the postman for days lol.


Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow about sums it up. Now in my box was a combination of things. On my Ivy's Attic page i suggested a crafty swap which three of us took part in, me, Senta and Melissa. My item goes to Melissa and still needs posting. Melissa's parcel is going to Senta and is now in the post or has arrived but i was lucky enough to get Sentas creation. The theme to our crafty swap was to make something that represented us or where we come from...

Here it is, isn't it amazing. The card with the ribbon tells you a bit about Utah and on the box Senta has painted a little map about Utah. The cricket and the Seagull were in the box as the crickets were eating the crops and the seagulls ate the crickets and saved the crops (in a much more abbreviated story) Personally i think this is wonderful, thanks Senta, so much. Mwah.

This is the contents of my box layed out on the bed!

So amongst my amazing collection of goodies was a handmade cupcake which is adorable, a fabulous recipe book all pieced together, just for me, how exciting, can't wait to try out the recipes, a Reese's cake bar mix, which after the Drop Scone Mix at Christmas will be the most fun to make.

As well as that there is a magical Fairie magazine, a crafting magazine and a Dover book of Fairy folk transfers for me to play with :)

Then there is a tortoise making kit :) and some amazing Victorian hanging decorations which will look fab on my twiggy light up branches cause they're not Christmassy so i don't have to wait.

I am so chuffed with all my amazing goodies, how wonderful, it made my day thank you Senta :)

This is the candle jar i made for Senta which i haven't shared until now so it didn't spoil the surprise :)

Card Challenges with a seasonal twist ;)

Well i got to be creative today with this sweet image from Michelle Perkett found here she is called Mary Margaret The Teachers pet BUT having been in the startings of Halloween mood i wanted to do something completely opposite and did a naughty Mary, i think it worked too lol. I printed her off several times onto patterned papers and cut out the different elements and then glued them together, yes glued, I'm almost out of everything adhesive and my last double sided tape went missing two seconds after i got it out of the draw right up till i was almost finished lol. The sketch was from Paper Craft Planets Sketch group found here, this is what it looked like 

So here is Mary Margaret out trick or treating for Halloween i am entering this in the sketch challenge above and for challenge 41 over at Michelle Perkett Studio. Well done to all the new Design Team members :) I have also (thanks to Jan) entered this in  
Operation Write Home Stars & Stamps blog where the challenge is also to make a card using a Michelle Perkett digi and guess what Michelle is the sponsor too, three times a charm :)

Here it is 

Flapjack Cookies

Today's recipe comes from Never Eat Wobbly Jelly As my two favourite things to bake are Flapjack and Cookies i just knew i needed to make a Flapjack Cookie so i went on the hunt and found this recipe.

Victoria's Famous Flapjack Recipe:

6oz Traditional whole rolled oats

5oz Sugar (i used golden caster as sugar was low)

5oz Plain flour

1 tspn bicarb of soda

2 tbsp Boiling hot water

6oz block butter

1 tablespoon Syrup

(makes around 34 biscuits)

Oh yes and i added 4oz of desiccated coconut!

Preheat oven to 180oc

Mix the oats, sugar and flour together in bowl. In a separate bowl mix the boiling water and bicarb of soda, then mix into the oat mixture.

Melt the butter and syrup in a bowl over boiling water. Once melted add to the oat mixture.

Roll into small balls and place on a baking tray covered with baking parchment, press two fingers into each blob. Make sure they are too close together as they will spread. If you're using one tray, do it in three batches.

Pop in the oven for around 12-14 mins, they won't take long.

leave to cool on the tray a bit to crispen up, then onto a wire rack to fully cool.

They are in the oven as i type and i obviously need to make tspn size balls not tbsn sizes lol but i'm sure they'll go down just as well. Back to rate later :)

First impressions

They look great

  They taste great, lovely and chewy

This recipe made atleast 54
 (some of which were big and some smaller)

So i would give this recipe a 8/10


and will be making these again with choc chips :)


If this is still showing up with great big spaces please forgive me i may have to repost it wont behave, grrr

Recipe no2

This recipe is one i have in the cupboard which means it's one I've tried, i think i remember saying it was one I'd use again which is always a good recommendation. This recipe is for all purpose cookie dough and then the variations are at the bottom of the recipe.

Makes a truckload of cookies!

225g unsalted butter, softened

375g light soft brown sugar

50g caster sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

400g plain flour

2 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

The variations are as follows:-

For oatmeal and raisin cookies, reduce the flour to 300g and add 200g rolled oats, 1 tsp cinnamon and 200g raisins. For double peanut butter cookies, replace the butter with 225g crunchy peanut butter (and a little milk if necessary) and stir in 200-400g unsalted or washed peanuts. For dark chocolate chunk cookies, replace 50g flour with 50g cocoa and stir in 400g dark or milk chocolate chopped roughly. Forapricot and almond white chocolate cookies, stir in at the end 200g chopped apricots, 200g chopped blanched almonds and 200g chopped white chocolate.

This recipe is taken from here  I have halved the ingredients with a view to having some ingredients left over for other things and have used a mix of dates and mixed peel amounting to 200g.

First lot just out of the oven, they have had around 15mins but the first batch are slightly over brown so may turn the oven down a bit. 

First impressions

They look great

   They taste pretty good

This recipe made about 60 (and that was half the ingredients!)

So i would give this recipe a 7/10