cooookies!

a bit more of a conventional recipe today!

we've somehow managed to chomp our way through all of the biccies m bought in his moment of madness before christmas so i got to do some baking today :)

a work-friend gave me this recipe, i think it appeared in a magazine a few years ago to give folk easy baking ideas for charity bake-sales.

i love this recipe because you can add anything you like to it and the cookies (pretty much) always turn out delish. i usually make two different types at once so the pic shows chocolate chip for m and sultana and hazelnut for me :)

> basic ingredients
250g softened butter (i use the microwave for this!)
140g caster sugar (i prefer brown sugar for the taste and texture)
1 egg yolk (sometimes i add two, makes for a softer cookie)
2tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour

> method
heat the oven to 180 oC/fan 160 oC/gas mark 4.
mix the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
add the egg yolk and vanilla and briefly beat to combine.
sift in the flour and stir until the mixture is well combined, use your hands to bring the dough together if needed.
now add your extras! i'm a bit easy-oasy when it comes to measuring - just keep adding until it looks right :)
mix well, and if the mixture looks a little dry, add the second egg yolk or a tiny splash of milk.
lightly grease a baking tray.
depending on the consistency of your final mix, you can either roll the dough out and use a biscuit cutter to cut your shapes or, if your mix is a little softer, just scoop out a ball of the dough and pop onto the baking sheet, making sure to flatten it slightly.
pop them into the oven for between 10 to 15/20 mins, again this will depend on the consistency of your cookie dough. probably best to check after 10 mins and if a knife comes out clean, you're good to go.

these are heavenly when eaten still warm!

stockholm tunnelbana

more snow ...

really ... ?

for us ...?

how kind!

but we really do have enough already thank you :)

bird cake!

as in a cake for the birds, not a cake made from birds!

well, it might not look too appetising to me but our feathered friends have been scoffing this as fast as i can make it. we've still got a load of snow and ice (will it ever go away?) so as well as our usual seed-feeder, i've started putting food out for the birds twice a day.

as i wasn't really baking this year (m went mad in the grocery store and bought enough sweets, choccies, crisps, snacks, cakes, pies to last a lifetime) i thought i would use up all of the dried fruit, the nuts, the suet that i wouldn't be using. i also found some pinhead oatmeal and some muesli i didn't really like very much and added some bird seed. it all got chopped up, then i melted some vegetable suet in the microwave, poured it over the dry mix and hey-presto! this gets chopped into smaller chunks and put out with some seed and chopped apples mixed in.

we've gone from a few birds visiting the feeder to a veritable flock who wait for us in the tree when we go out now. the binoculars now have a permanent home on the window-sill, as much to be on the look-out for next-door's cats as to enjoy watching the birds.

merry christmas

i wish you the christmas you hope for :)

how to wrap a cat for christmas ...

slightly concerned this cat may have been sedated! either that or it's a very rare personality type, how on earth this person manages to wrap this cat, who seems quite unperturbed by the whole thing?!

stockholm tunnelbana

genius

and hilarious!

let me introduce you to mr b the gentleman rhymer ...

it's the shortest day!

happy winter solstice :)

the earth is turning toward longer, lighter and (hopefully) warmer days. a lovely thought for when we're sitting in front of the fire tonight eating some of the berries we picked this summer and then stuck in the freezer just for tonight.

christmas ... ?

it hasn't really felt much like christmas for me so far, probably because i've been too busy!

so, to get myself in the christmas mood, tonight i shall eat satsumas and watch these two films ...

funny the things that become traditions isn't it?

since i can remember, satsumas have been part of the christmas tradition for our family and even though a lot has changed for our family recently, i only need to peel a satsuma and the fragrance takes me right back to those wonderful times.

and the choice of films ... i am actually quite a discerning film watcher (love b&w movies, choosing different genres for different moods, prefer european and in original language movies, have a soft spot for korean movie making) but again, it comes down to tradition for me.

i adored the muppets when i was wee and never really lost that as i grew up! i love the variety of shapes/sizes/colours/personalities of the muppets and also their lovely muppetty-ethos. apart from dirty, rotten scoundrels (whisper: and batman) this is about the only movie i can watch michael caine in.

and elf ... i used to watch this with my nan every year, and every time we watched it, it felt like christmas, and each time we saw it we laughed more and more, sometimes we would end up laughing at ourselves laughing so hard we were crying. lovely, happy times.

chocolate cake

this cake was so tasty it didn't even last long enough for a photo! best to eat this one when it's still warm from the oven ...

ingredients
> cake
2 eggs
3tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup self raising flour
2tbsp sunflower oil

> sauce
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup hot water

method
put the oven on to about 180 oC.
lightly oil your cake tin (about 8" will do), i use a loaf tin.
sprinkle in the ingredients for the sauce, don't worry about sieving or mixing - just bung it all in the tin.
put all of the ingredients for the cake into a mixing bowl and mix it all up until you get a thick, gloopy batter.
pour a cup of hot water into the cake tin, on top of the dry sauce ingredients.
stir it gently.
now pour the cake batter in (no more stirring or poking about, that's really all there is to it!)
pop it into the oven for about twenty minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the cake.
if you put the cake tin onto a baking tray before putting it into the oven, it'll help catch any sauce that runs out over the top of the tin while it's cooking (learnt that one the hard way!).

i can't remember where i printed off the original recipe from but part of the instructions say that it is ready when the sauce looks gloopy and slightly volcanic which is a perfect description!

i sometimes add a different flavour by grating in some green & black's maya gold or you could add a few drops of flavouring or something like rose water.

i usually up-end the loaf tin onto a plate so that the lovely, gooey sauce runs all over the cake, slice it up, bung on some cream/ice cream and serve :)

stockholm tunnelbana

international day of felt

ok, so, better late than never right ... ?

i'm a 'little' behind in posting these but hopefully it'll be a welcome relief from all of the snowy scenes i've been putting up recently!

in case you haven't come across IDF before, here's a handy link that'll tell you all about it, so you can get involved for 1st october, next year: felt united

i really love this coming together of feltmakers from around the world and also the creativity that it inspires. the first year i took part, i met angela who was organising a felt trail in ilkley and the felt mobile i made was something i wouldn't normally have attempted and became one of my favourite pieces.

this year i wanted to try something new so one of the things i made, i hung in the local forest, right on the edge of a walking path so that people who wouldn't normally encounter felt would have the chance to see something a little different. i was a bit nervous about it, what if someone saw me putting it up and told me off?! what if people didn't like it and ripped it down?! i was really relieved and quite surprised when i went back to take it down two weeks later to find it, not only still in place, but it looked like a few of the pieces had become detached and folk had carefully put them back in place :) i used velcro at one end of each strip to wrap it around the branch so as not to damage the tree, but it possibly wasn't strong enough for the perthshire weather!

anyway, enough blethering, here's the pics ...

laying out ... the blue
... the yellow
... the green
these interlocking foam tiles have been great - saves my feet when standing and my knees when kneeling (didn't have a big enough table for this size of felt!) but one word of caution - if they get a little wet they get exceptionally slippy against a laminate floor so that any attempt to stand on them results in lots of arm flailing, squealing, sploshing about of water and results in a fit of giggles when you realise how funny you must have looked as you did the 'must retain my balance' dance! not dignified :)

after much rubbing comes much rolling
ready for cutting
all cut and ready to be shaped and washed
i also made some felt balls to hang in our new gage tree
and some hollow ones that i cut to reveal different layers
but this was my favourite piece
roll on next year, when the colour theme is red, purple and blue!

beetroot chutney

a work friend kindly gave me this recipe when i mentioned to her that we were growing our own beetroot this year. it really is an unbelievably simple recipe but the end result is divine - i can totally recommend a cheese and beetroot chutney sandwich :)

ingredients
3lbs fresh beetroot
1.5lbs cooking apples
2lbs onions
1lb sugar
1tsp salt
1 pint regular malt vinegar
1tbs lemon juice
0.5tsp ground ginger

i did kind of tweak the quantities as i was making it, using slightly less suger and fresh rather than ground ginger too, but you can change according to your own tastes.method
anyways, you chop up all the ingredients (as fine or as chunky as you prefer) and put them in a big pan.
bring to the boil.
simmer until the mixture has reduced and become a bit thicker.
while the chutney is cooking, you can be sterilising your jars.
once the apple and beetroot has softened and the mixture is nice and gloopy, put it in jars and seal.

the amounts given above are enough to fill about twelve jars. also, i think i only waited about a week after putting in jars to have my first taste and it was delish.but, be warned, it can have a rather surprising (or it was for me anyway) effect that will be noticed the next time you, ahem, go to powder your nose!!!

more snow, some ice, bit of a thaw

guess how long it took us to dig the car out .. ? only to wake up to a blizzard the following day!must admit though, that i have quite liked the change of pace that the 'snow chaos' has caused.

we've been really lucky, i know, and it must have been awful for the folk who haven't been able to get out and about or who have been stuck in their cars overnight.

but i've really enjoyed being in the house with the stove on, pottering around and doing those wee jobs i never seem to have the time to do. we've been taking lots of really long walks, enjoying the scenery and playing in the snow. a trip to the grocery store meant walking with huge rucksacks on our backs and only buying what we could carry, you pretty much stick to your shopping list when you know that you've got to load it all onto your back for the trip home! i've also been doing loads of baking (pics and recipes to follow). we've been feeding and enjoying watching the antics of the birds who have been very regular visitors. we switched the tv off and listened to the radio, and some old vinyl (yes, vinyl!). plus, i discovered that i could actually walk to the day job, whilst doing a bit of bird watching along the way. much more relaxed way of life with the added bonus of some exercise thrown in too! i'm definitely going to try to use the car less and less from now on. a couple of years ago i did acutally have a whole summer without a car and cycled to work, but then winter came and i was persuaded we did really 'need' a car and then got lazy again!

we did have more and more snow during last week and everything was transformed into something really quite magical
even the tree decorations i made as part of the international day of felt

then we had two whole days without snow! it started to thaw a bit during the day, then refreeze at night, making for lots of lovely to look at, but dangerous to stand underneath, icicles

well, it looks like we may have a bit of a thaw on, i've seen the tarmac on the road for the first time in two weeks! off to walk into town now :)

snow-jumping

let me introduce you to a little known sport, or as it’s referred to more accurately by aficionados: art-form, called snow jumping.

there is one very important pre-requisite for this activity: you need a shed-load of snow to be dumped on your location daily for about four days in a row, with freezing temperatures at night to maintain consistency and depth.

preparation is key: you want to wrap up warm with plenty of waterproof clothing on top. make sure that there are no tiny gaps between gloves and sleeves, scarf and neck etc. in fact, tucking your vest into your thermals is also a good idea (but not the sexiest style you will ever carry off) to prevent any ingress by the tiniest amount of the cold stuff, which will melt as soon as it reaches any of the cosy parts of your body and turn to freezing water which will then run down your neck, leg, arm etc. not good.

to allow you to take part at home, here is a quick guide. bear in mind that perfecting this technique takes many, many hours of practice so don’t be too disheartened by your first, stumbling attempts.

step 1. find a stretch of particularly deep, untouched, lovely white stuff.
step 2. run as fast as your many layers of clothing will allow.
step 3. launch yourself from the ground by pushing off with one foot.
step 4. bearing in mind that points are awarded for style and panache as well as distance travelled and landing, turn/twist/spin/kick/flail/somersault even, as many times as is possible.
step 5. the landing, ah the landing, my favourite part. if you have nailed your take-off perfectly, then landing pretty much takes care of itself.

to assist you: if you’re doing it right, the end result should look something like this:happy snow-jumping everyone!

what a difference a week makes

this is what last week looked like ... we had gone to a local hide to do a bit of winter birdwatching but the scenery was so lovely we spent a lot of time admiring that too!

and this is what we have now ...although, we actually have a little more snow now! this pic was taken a couple of days ago and it pretty much hasn't stopped snowing since.

here's some more snowy pics from our walk ...

the trees still haven't finished their autumnal display



only one thing for it ... make snow angels!hope everyone is safe and warm, with plenty of supplies.

christmas is coming

and the elves need some name badges.

i met the wonderfully energetic and inspiring tricia fox of volpa at the recent wild gathering launch event.

anyways, we got talking, as you do, and tricia asked if i would be interested in creating name badges for the elves in santa's grotto at the st john's shopping centre in perth. as you can imagine, i jumped at the chance! and now the elves are busily working away in santa's grotto happy with their new badges.

thank goodness

for a wood burning stove!

just the thing to dry off those last minute tree decorations so that i can bead them in time for my last stall this year.

as part of the perth 800 celebrations, there will be an andermass / christmas market in king edward street, this saturday and sunday from 9am to 5pm.

it's a medieval themed market so as well as the usual great mix of handmade art and crafts, there will be lots of medieval-type activities. including the stall holders dressed in medieval costumes - come along to see me as maid marion, a once in a lifetime opportunity!

perth andermass fair

fall back

so, an extra hour this weekend! what did you do with yours ... ?

i had great plans for the magic hour, i think i had a to-do list which would have taken me about three hours in all honesty and then i thought, well why not just kick back for a change, use the 'extra' hour to have a cuppa and read (a whole hour reading is a rare treat these days).

the sad truth - the hour passed me by as i slept in!

stockholm beckons

and our first meeting with my brother's first baby!!! a beautiful little baby girl called mivalie :) we're really excited to meet her and start playing the very important roles of eccentric aunty and uncle, in fact anyone would think we've been in practice for these roles for ages given we've perfected them so well!

catch up soon, happy autumn everyone :)

an unscheduled break

wow, is it really july since i last logged on and posted here?!

i am still alive ... the day job; felting; running a business and trying to get another off the ground; and life in general has kind of got in the way of computer time and blogging. but i'm hoping to return soon :)

in the meantime, i hope everyone has had a great summer and i'll catch up with you all soon.

meet a maker

this week we meet debs from pipistrelle crochet designs ...

Please introduce yourself …
I'm Debs and I run Pipistrelle Crochet Design.

How would you describe your work / style?
I work all in crochet at the moment, and tend to just design whatever I feel like at the time. I've been doing a lot of hearts, garlands etc, but am looking into freeform crochet and intend to start experimenting in making other items such as more bags and accessories, wall hangings and cushion covers.

Who, or what, inspires you?
It mainly comes down to the yarn. I'm a real yarnaholic! I will see a yarn in the shop, or online, and it will set off a whole train for thought for me, whether it reminds me of the sea, or trees, or flocks of birds, or whatever, and my mind starts working overtime thinking about what would look good made with that yarn, or what effects I could achieve with it. I'm also very inspired by nature and birds.

Where can I buy your work?
www.muddybarefeet.folksy.com

Do you have a website or blog address?
www.pipistrellecrochetdesign.blogspot.com

How did you learn your craft? How long have you been creating?
I taught myself to crochet just over a year ago. I was a keen knitter before that, but since discovering crochet have practically abandoned knitting altogether - it just doesn't compare! I have been creating pieces seriously with the intent of selling them since late last year.

Is there any other craft skill you would like to learn?
I would really like to get to grips with felting, and as I said before I'm very keen to have a go at freeform crochet.

I couldn’t do this if it wasn’t for …
My wonderful family who put up with me enthusing about yarns and designs, and who leave me alone when I need to create.

What do you do to relax?
Spend time with my family out in the countryside.

Marmite … love it or hate it?
Love it!

What animal would you be, and why?
A hare. I've just always had an affinity with them. I quite often have dreams where I turn into a hare. I love the way they live, the family groups and the social organisation of them, and all the mythology, of course.

What’s your weakness?
Chocolate.

How do you keep motivated?
By looking at the wonderful things that other people make. When I'm feeling a bit demotivated, one of my tricks is to have a look through all my favourite shops on Folksy, and that usually inspires me to get back and get on with my own designs. I also have a few crochet books, and if I come across a stitch I haven't tried before, I'll have a go at something new like that, to get me back into it.

What question did you hope to be asked but weren't?
Who is your favourite Doctor Who actor?

What would your answer have been?
Tom Baker! Who else? :-)

thanks for taking the time to chat debs, i really like your work. if you're ever in scotland please look me up, perhaps i can teach you to felt if you teach me to crochet - i'd love to learn! oh gosh tom baker, takes me back a bit! when i was young, i remember being really chuffed when my aunt knitted me a 'tom baker dr who' scarf :)

very exciting news!!!

for the first time ever, my fatcat felt items are now stocked in a proper bricks-and-mortar shop :)

the lovely mandy moore has opened an cnoc at 31 east high street, crieff, ph7 3af and the shop is fantastic! mandy and her hubby have done wonders with the shop interior and it is a great place to browse the amazing range of work that mandy stocks.

i made the most amount of felt i have ever made in my life thanks to mandy giving me the opportunity to have my work in her brand new shop. this experience has made me even more certain that this is what i want to do as a full-time career.

many thanks also to aileen clarke who very kindly recommended me to mandy when she was looking for new designer-makers.



the website will soon be up and running at: www.an-cnoc.com

(pics courtesy of mandy moore)

continuing the food theme ...

(after felting, food is my second favourite thing!)

may i recommend: mango; applewood smoked cheddar; mange tout; rocket and chilli sauce sandwiches on seeded bread?!

i know it sounds like a bit of an odd combination but it is delicious :)

when i'm busy felting away i have such a bad habit of waiting until i get close-to-fainting hungry and then grabbing whatever's closest, which isn't always the healthiest option.

so, as part of my mission to try and get healthier, i've been buying in tempting treats so that i'm more likely to stop for half an hour to eat properly. and this lunch was definitely worth stopping for!

and another favourite, although not quite as healthy, is: crunchy peanut butter; marmite and huge thick chunks of cucumber.

so, what's your favourite unusual sandwich filling combo?

first crop of strawberries

oh i wish you could smell these! they smell heavenly and are as sweet as strawberry jam :)

i was really chuffed that our strawberry plants produced any berries, let alone such delicious ones. i discovered a strawberry plant growing out of a wall on my way to work a couple of years ago and took a wee cutting, brought it home, rooted it and potted it up but then nothing much happened.

then earlier this year, the plants started putting out runners and have now nearly taken over the herb patch - the poor thyme is being squashed and the oregano is putting up a brave battle for space.

the second batch of berries looks like it might be ready for picking soon, yum!

p.s.
no that isn't the largest dollop of cream you've ever seen! we were being healthy and added some natural yoghurt, i'm sure my arteries will thank me :)

meet a maker

this week we chat with elaine from ellie's treasures who makes gorgeous items using recycled fabrics and wool ...

Please introduce yourself …
I'm Elaine and I sell handmade treasures for my shop, Ellie's Treasures. I live in a rural village in Lincolnshire and truly love the peace and beauty that is around me. Life is busy, but I'm not one to stay still for long - I love a challenge!

How would you describe your work / style?Most of my craft items are hand-sewn using recycled fabrics, buttons and decorations where possible. I also sell little woollen ponies for which I use donated wool.

Who, or what, inspires you?
I am constantly looking at crafts in magazines, blogs and from other sellers to get inspiration and to just completely admire each person's individual style.

Do you sell your work? If so, what helped you decide to start selling your work?
I sell my crafts through my online shop with Folksy, it's called Ellie's Treasures. I planned to start my own website for Ellie's Treasures perhaps a year and a half ago, but it was taking far too long to get going with far too many other commitments getting in the way. Just before Christmas 2009, I decided to look into opening a shop through an established shopping site and came across Folksy through Zoe's blog. Zoe owns Top Floor Treasures.

Where can I buy your work?
You can purchase my crafts from Ellie's Treasures on Folksy, the direct website is elliestreasures. I'm more than happy to do custom makes too, just contact me through the shop.

Do you have a website or blog address?
As yet I don't have my own website but I do enjoy blogging and currently have three active blogs! One is about daily life, another for my garden, chickens and veggie plot and my third for my crafts and shop. The main web address is: elliestreasurescrafts

How did you learn your craft? How long have you been creating?
I think I've picked up the sewing bug from my Mum. She's always enjoyed mending and altering her clothes and has always hand-sewn too. Sewing for me goes back to senior school years when I starting sewing classes at year 7. Sadly, my fear of sewing machines also came from these lessons, but I remember having to make a skirt at school and longing to make a pair of shorts at home using a second-hand electric Singer sewing machine. It was a total disaster as the material Mum gave me to use as practise was a pair of old curtains that turned out to be rotten! The sewing machine kept smoking and sparking and my love of sewing went out of the window for several years.Having said that, "make do and mend" has always come naturally to me. Making things for pleasure and later to sell is a relatively new thing. The idea of the Patchy Pockets keepsake wallet came to me one night and I made a couple to see how they came together. A few months later a friend suggested running a stall at the local Christmas craft fair and that pushed me into making more Patchies and other pretty seasonal things.

Is there any other craft skill you would like to learn?
I'd love to do weaving. Again, I remember having a quick go at this at school and really enjoying it. Also, I'd like to try encaustic art as a blog friend is very skilled in this and produces the most amazing pieces.

Anything exciting planned for 2010 you’d like to share?
On the craft front, I'd like to do some craft fairs this year, perhaps around Christmas time to give me a few months to build up some stock.

I couldn’t do this if it wasn’t for …
My husband. It was his idea that we look into starting Ellie's Treasures online and spent the next year and a half really pushing that I do something with all the crafts I was making and storing away! Also my friend who initially suggested the craft fair - that sparked off the interest in selling I guess.

Describe your perfect day.
Having a morning lie-in would be a real luxury followed by a relaxing day of pottering about the house and garden finishing off with a meal at my favourite Indian restaurant in the evening.

Describe your proudest moment.
Oh, that's difficult. Proudest craft moment - my first sale I think!

What do you do to relax?
Potter about, enjoying the animals and tending to the veggie plot.

Marmite … love it or hate it?
Absolutely hate it!

What animal would you be, and why?
A cat. I have three and could quite easily have plenty more. If I was going to be a cat though, it would have to be in a happy home so I could sleep for as long as my cats sleep for, just waking for attention and food!

What’s your weakness?
Chocolate. I hide it away from others so only I can get to it when I desperately need it (which is often).

How do you keep motivated?
Good question. Friendly messages left on my blog or through my shop really boost my confidence as does seeing that people are adding my crafts to their favourite list. The mega motivator of course is when I get a sale, this really makes me want to keep going! I put everything I have into each item I make and I'm very critical of everything I do, but the idea that perhaps someone else will enjoy that item too is the top thing that keeps me happy in what I'm doing.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started out?
That there's such a lot of work that's needed to run a tiny business like mine, it's not just making and selling! I spend more time marketing than making I think.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Persevere. When you think how many wonderful hand-made crafters there are out there selling in cyberland, just to get one sale is truly marvellous, to get more is fantastic. Don't give up, believe in yourself, learn from others and tell everyone about your goods as much as possible.