A bit of baking

Yesterday I had a small amount of free time, you know that time when you have NOTHING planned, no jobs that need doing, nothing!!! So I had read in the Recipes + magazine about some biscuits I thought would be nice. That is funny in itself as I usually hate making biscuits, no idea why, I just don't like making them. They are called Chocolate Mint drops, but once reading the recipe, they really should have been called Chocolate Drops with mint icing. So I changed them a little, I also did two batch's and made one with mint and one with raspberry. The raspberry ones have turned out sort of Black forest like, so pretty darn fine!

And yes I used loads of evil food colouring. I don't ice our cakes and things that much, so a bit here and there isn't that bad. Besides they have tried both flavours and don't like them. Lucky the neighbours son was over and he did.

Chocolate Mint drops:

185 grams butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 and 1/4 cups of plain flour
1/4 cup of self raising flour
1/2 cup of cocoa
I added 1 tsp of mint flavouring (and one of raspberry in a second batch)

Oven at 180 degrees and bake for 15 mins.

Beat butter and sugar and then add egg and beat. Mix all the remanding ingredients. A teaspoon balls worth on mix and then on to a tray.

Well I guess it is off to eat more biscuits

Tx

Pink Fig dress...Done

This has taken me all day. ALL DAY!!!!!! It looks super cute, but, even though I did a size three and she is average for her size, and only two, it is too small. Well not right now, but maybe next week. So rather gutted. So I am going to have to make her wear it every day for a week. She couldn't stand still, as soon as it when on over her head, she was twirling around. Then after about 5 mins she wanted out of that and back into her falling apart tutu. I love it, after all it is made with "love" by Amy Butler! The pattern was rather tricky. The steps were well explained and easy enough to follow, it was just a hard dress. I am so glad I made it. It really challenged me, my poor brain has been well used today. I think I will be going to bed early for sure. Oh PS about the dress, it does have a tie belt to put on, but might leave if off. See how I feel tomorrow.

Oh and the face, poor Adele is a little sick, so she is not her chipper wee self. Looking 100% better than yesterday. Amazing what three Barbie movies and some antibiotics can do.

It has been pouring with rain all day, water is pooling all over the ground, we were going to head off for a long weekend tonight, but planning on going tomorrow now. We need a family break, cross fingers the weather improves.

Tx

A new dress

I am in the process of making Adele a new dress. It was with the left over "Love" fabric from my purse. Since I love my wee girl it only make sense to make her a love dress. Right, I just had to stop to break up WWIII, so maybe Adele and Ryan don't love each other right now. One minute cuddles, the next Adele pushing Ryan into the wall. Frustrating! O.k the dress. It is a Pink Fig pattern. I got it from Donna's Quilt Studio ages and ages ago. It is on-line and you can find it many places. It has taken so long to start because the bodice is shirred. I just could not work out how to do it on my machine. I googled, read, asked and every thing pretty much said you can't on a Brother with out changing the bobbin casing. Well I was telling Donna this, she said noooooo bring it in and we will give it a go. So I did, and she did and what do you know, my machine shirred. Now I haven't done it at home, by myself so I am still to know if I can make it go. But at least I know I can head back into her and she can do her magic!

A week until my first market of sorts. I got invited to have a stall at a fundraiser. A whole bunch of party selling people, you know Tupperware and people like that, and then me, were invited to sell at a PlayCentre fundraiser. The only cost to us is donating an item to the big raffle they are having at the end. I thought that was pretty good! And then the following Sunday will be my first proper market, Craft Mad, at one of the local schools. So I am pretty nervous. So yes that means I did say yes and got my act all sorted. The kids are off for the weekend so I can finish up every thing. I have NO idea what so ever I am meant to do, set up, time to arrive. So I am pretty freaked out. Blair is working on the Sunday too so I can drag him a long for moral support. Thankfully there is a coffee cart there so I might visit that a few times!

Well best get ready to do the kindy run. We were up at 530am, amazing what you can get done before school.

Tx

Win your purchase price back!!!!!!

Since Facebook has changed rules again (and again and again), or maybe I never knew what they were to begin with, I mentioned a giveaway on my page and another page told me that it wasn't allowed. So I think by linking to my blog I can get around the rules. Well at least hopefully, please don't shut my page now Facebook!!!!

www.facebbok.com/pages/Silly-Goose

So I am so super close to 150 likers, I know not a huge amount, but pretty important to me, small steps and all. So when I get to 150 likers I am going to do a week of 10% off, perfect for this time of the year!!! And one lucky purchaser will win their purchase price back! So really a win win for every one. I am excited with this wee adventure. Certainly been fun with a few challenges.

Anyway spread the word, and watch out for the start of the sale. I will mention it here and on my Facebook pages. Also please, this will only be for purchases from my Facebook page. If you want to purchase for NZders, I can send my bank details, and for the rest of the world I can send a paypal invoice. So no one should miss out.

Postage is $4 for NZ, $5 for Aust and $10 the rest of the world.

Well thanks in advance!

Tx

Sewing night, part two.

I took in a whole heap of strips to sew together for Ryans quilt top. I still had no idea on what I wanted it to look like, well I had a sort of idea, I guess it sort of looks like the plan. I got to work doing the strips and I had them done so early! So I ended up with two lots of blocks.







I still had a load of time, so after wandering round and round Donna's, I can across some lovely brown embossed cuddle fabric. So I cut that into big squares and sewed them all together.
I had enough time to finish it, but the cuddle is rather expensive, so next week I will get the rest and hopefully find the time to finish it. Ryan seems to like it because on Saturday morning I found it spread over his bed. I think he was quite pleased to have some thing made for him.

So that is the end of the sewing night. I am already hanging out for the next one. It was so productive. I could do one every week!

Well that's all folks

Tx

Midnight Madness Sewing

Last night for the midnight madness sewing at Donna's quilt studio. So I arrived at 5 pm, very excited about what I could achieve in that time.See here is my car all packed up with every thing I thought I could need. It was my first time at anything like this so really wasn't sure what to expect, or do, who would be there, would they be nice. I don't do group situations very well. So I was very apprehensive. Every one was so lovely and I felt quite cuffed to get some compliments from the slightly grey ladies. I took along my Amy Butler pleated clutch (more to come) and some stripes that needed sewing together for Ryan's quilt top. I got every thing done so much quicker than I thought, the blessing of no children around. So luckily we were at the quilt studio and I was able to buy some cuddle fabric and do some more of Ryan's quilt. Very cunning of Donna ;)So the purse. I had done some reading by other bloggers about this purse. And tried to make a purse using the bits of advice I thought sounded good for me. I am so so pleased with the results. I love the fabric, it is Amy Butler is why would you! And I just love the purse design, it is so simple, but the pleated make it look so fancy. I used someones advice (sorry who ever it was now) and put some pellon on the inside and it makes it some much more sturdy. But since I did that I should have cut the lining a wee bit smaller, so my lining is a little bunched. But if the desire ever takes me I can easily fix that. And I left the arm strap off, I could see it was going to be snug and I forgot to lengthen it, so it went in the bin!
The pleats by far is the tricky part, mostly because the fabric gets so hot. I got a spray bottle and sprayed the fabric with water. It helps cool it, but also helps the pleats sit nice and flat. So I got this all done before class.
Finished!! Inside is the spotty light blue fabric. Just lovely! Now I need a night out so the purse can be used to its potential. I made the medium side and I think that is just right. I have noticed a lot of other blogger types have made the medium too. It does use quite a bit of fabric, but not as much as the instructions recommend.

Right this is rather long, so I will post about Ryan's quilt tomorrow....It is Blake Riley fabric and cuddle...YUMMY!

Tx

Cake and Amy Butler

So I took an afternoon away from merino, and just did "nothing" and hung out with the kids. Adele and I did more baking, a chocolate cake this time. And yes she had one of the beaters and got completely covered in chocolate yummyness.
I think for the both of them that is the best part of baking. So after dinner we had cake for pudding. A nice treat after the time they spent running around out side playing in the massive pile of dirt we have for our gardens. It is now on the slide, on the tramp and all over their clothes. I think there is a pile of dirt clothes out side. Oh well they had so much fun, maybe Adele will sleep through, cross fingers!

So the only crafting I got done, which I was quite pleased about. Not getting it done, but having a nice relaxing afternoon, was some preparation for the Midnight Madness Sewing I am doing tomorrow through Donna's Quilt Studio. So starting a 5 and going till Midnight, we just take in any project and well sew! There is no restriction, we just bring projects and go for gold. I think the only advise was to have things cut out and ready to go. So I ironed on some interfacing to this purse I want to make and I think I am going to cut a few more strips of a quilt I would like to make and hello midnight sewing. So the purse is from the Amy Butler Bag book I have, which is part of the sew a long by mycraftycrap. It is a super cute pleated clutch. I really love the look of it. So I am hoping to have made two of those. Oh and here is the fabric, Amy Butler too. I got this from Sew Addictive fabrics.I must have read the instructions wrong as I have waaaay to much fabric, so that is why I am hoping to make two. It really is so beautiful I don't mind one bit. The photos never do it justice, it really is so yummy!

Tx

Time to eat THE cheese

So over the last few days we have been eating my very own home made cheese. I think it is fantastic, but you sometimes your view gets a little clouded because you have made it... So I ended up taking that as my plate to the baby shower, and it was all eaten so that has to be a good sign. I didn't say anything about it being home made so people didn't feel that had to eat it. But it went so that is good.
See, doesn't it look good!

Then to get some great feed back from my chief cheerleader (you know who you are), I got some out to be eaten, which Blair of course said ALL the right things. And we had some friends round for lunch, so I made cheese and ham scones, with slices of Brie on the top. So so so good, and just to up the fat content we spread Brie on the hot scone, YUM!

Ready to go into the oven

And cooked! They were pretty darn fine.

I have two rounds of cheese left to eat, but I think I will try and get another batch in the fridge this week some time. To be fair though this week is going mighty fast!

Been making a whole bunch of tops for Silly Goose. My first market/Play Centre fair isn't too far away now and trying to get a whole heap of stock. And still haven't made a decision about the Craft Made Market. I need to talk to Blair about it and see what he thinks. Oh and need to sleep some time as well...

Tx

Baby shower gift...Merino of course

The children and I are off to a baby shower this afternoon, so this morning I have been making a wee gift, well two. A couple of merino tops. I guess since I have been making and selling it would only make sense I would give them some. I used the Kwik Sew pattern 3607. It has a nice round neck top. There are so many out there, this is about number three I have. Not that I have brought them all for the top, but well you know. The only thing about this top is it is a bit short, so I added an inch to the bottom. Because really there is nothing worse than a baby tummy poking out and getting cold. I have made a New Born size and a 0-3 months. And of course if she wants more I most certainly will. The wee baby is a boy, so I wanted to do boys "colours" without being too much blue. So I teamed them with black and I like them!
So I hope they do too. Plus I am giving them the nappy cake I made a while back, I had made it with the intention of giving it to them, but I got excited waaaay back then, so it had to be made!

I also have to bring a plate, I am thinking my chocolate raspberry cake, but I only have strawberry jam, but I am sure that will work. We have a heap of chocolate from Easter left and I think this will get rid of the rest of it. I am not sure if my will power can last any longer!

Tx

MArble Cake

Today is one of those brilliant autumn days, a little cold this morning, but now a beautiful warm day. The kids are been playing outside and I have been baking. With a little help from Adele, though I am sure it was just so she could lick the bowl. The aim for today was to bake a cake and to finish some half done projects, I have baked my cake and made a small head way into some binding on a quilt, so all and all pretty good. It is only 10 o'clock after all.

So the cake, a beauty from Donna Hay (who saw her on Master Chef, she is so nice), her Chocolate Cookbook, so it is a chocolate cake. Half and half vanilla and chocolate.

250 grams Butter
1 and 1/4 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 eggs
2 and 1/4 cups of flour
3/4 cup of milk
4 and 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons of milk

Sugar, butter and vanilla in a bowl and beat, add eggs, beat well. Dry ingredients, mix and then milk. At this point half the mixture, put in tow bowls. In one bowl add the remainder of ingredients. Using a 22 cm round tin spoon mixture, making a mix of the colour. Bake for 1 and 1/4 at 180.

I love this cake because people think it is tricky, but it isn't.
See cooking as we "speak". I am going into Blair's work today to have lunch with him, there is a large team of people and they quite like cake, so hopefully this will help ease the fact they are working on a Saturday!






Tx

Been a little slack :(

The thing is, I have been so busy doing Silly Goose stuff, that I really haven't had anything exciting to blog about, which does make me sad. I have tried explaining "fun" sewing vs "work" sewing to people and I am not sure if they get it. So while I have been pumping out the outfits and enjoying it very much, I haven't really been doing a whole lot of fun sewing.

But I was so pleased a couple of days back when a friend ask me to look after her wee girl. I make a whole bunch for Adele but having an afternoon of another wee girl to dress was pretty exciting, so I made her a skirt. So her mum had a sweet deal really, a babysitter and a dress maker! Not that I minded one little bit. So I had this piece of cord I brought ages ago off trademe, no idea about the origin. Lovely blue and floral. I put my gathering foot on my overlocker and sewed two pieces together, elastic waist...done! I think that the gathering foot didn't work so well on the cord, but it still gave it a bit of gather. Then I made a dress for Adele, but she hates it and wont wear it...EVER! So that might just have to go to a good home. It is nice, I like it, but it is not quite good enough to sell, I sort of made up the design as I went. So gutted about hers, but love the skirt. So I guess a good afternoon!










I collected the next lot of fabric for my quilt a long. Might try and cut it tomorrow. Seriously, where do the hours go in a day!

I brought a bunch more merino for Silly Goose. It is going o.k. I have a friends fundraiser thingee coming up soon where I can sell my things and a space has come available at this market that I have been wanting to go to, but now I am scared! I have to make a choice in the next few days, make a commitment and then get sewing OR be a wuss, say no and then spend the month kicking myself....

Tx