Rainbow Patchy Dress

Rainbow Patchy Dress
Originally uploaded by NYJacksons

Another version of the Rainbow dress! I like that this has sleeves!

Rainbow Patchwork Dress

Rainbow Patchwork Dress
Originally uploaded by fuzzypeach

This is one project I'm really excited about. The theme for my daughter's second birthday is "RAINBOWS" and I'm making her this dress!

My main issue is that I don't have many scraps...I've decided to buy 2-3 fabrics for each colour and just alternate round the dress. There's a great tutorial for this style of dress here http://indietutes.blogspot.com/2007/05/patchwork-circle-skirt.html

Another awesome blog - check out the wool!!! http://www.yarntini.blogspot.com/

I want to make quilts like these wishestrueandkind

Still on the subject...

Of Giveaway Day! How awesome is this blog, and her shop!
http://fat-connection.blogspot.com/

Go check it out!

Giveaway day 3

OK I need to combine more links into each post or else my blog will be full today!!

The market bag here is divine, if I don't win I'll have to try to make one: http://bijoulovely.blogspot.com/

Sew Deerly Loved is one of my favourite Etsy stores (perhaps because of her abundance of my favourite red and aqua!), now I've found her blog!

A NZ wool blog!!! How gorgeous is this! http://starcooked.blogspot.com/

Giveaway Day 2

Found another great blog: artfulexplorations How gorgeous is her necklace!

And the oilcloth that asimediviertoyo is giving away! Divine!

SEWING: It's Giveaway Day!

Sew Mama Sew does a giveaway day every so often, where they organise about a kazillion blog giveaways into one place. I'm so excited to enter them this year! Last year I found so many new blogs, at least a dozen of which are now on my 'read everyday' list!

Here's my first new blog that I feel affinity to: a la mode fabric. Heather is exactly the type of quilter I'd like to become! Her designs are modern and full of life. Although hexagons indimidate me, I can't stop looking at hers!!!

Banana cupcakes with a choice of frostings.

OMG these are DIVINE. They are Banana Coconut cupcakes. I found bananas on special for $2 a kilo at my local market, so bought up big to make these! There was 3 dozen....36 cupcakes...but by the time I got to ice them, there was only 2 dozen...that's how yummy this recipe is!

CATHY'S BANANA COCONUT CUPCAKES

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl:

2 eggs

125grams softened butter

1 cup castor sugar

1 ½ cups SR flour

½ cup desiccated coconut

½ cup coconut cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup mashed banana (3 ripe bananas)

All you do is chuck it all in a bowl and mix together! You can use a mixer on low speed, but you can also easily do it with a wooden spoon. Also, coconut milk is fine instead of cream.

I couldn't decide what kind of icing I wanted, so I did two types! Choc fudge icing (modified from the Crabapple Bakery Cupcake book) and Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese icing( modified from Martha Stewart and the Hummingbird bakery books). This was SO yummy that I may or may not have squirted some straight into my mouth...after I iced the cakes that is!

HONEY CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

should ice 12 cupcakes easily.

2 1/3 cups icing sugar

1/2 packet cream cheese (room temp)

85g butter (room temp)

honey

cinnamon

Beat butter and cream cheese together for a few minutes, add icing sugar gradually, stopping to scrape down sides. Squirt some honey in while it's beating, and a good shake of cinnamon. Taste. Add more honey or cinnamon if you think it needs it (but don't overdo it!)

CHOC FUDGE FROSTING

4 cups icing sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

100g butter (room temp)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

a bit less than 1/2 cup milk

Beat butter till it's pale, add vanilla (I'm guessing the amount, I never measure my vanilla, I just pour it in!). Alternate adding sifted icing sugar and cocoa mixture and milk.

These were piped with a big round tip, 2A I think? Squeeze to make dots and ease off the bag as you go towards the centre, making a teardrop shape.
 

New Sudden Obsession: Gardening.

Or rather, a way to get the flowers my girls and I love, while not having to actually plant them. Really, it's safer for everyone involved, as I have very brown thumbs...even under the nutella I just ate from the jar...

So now, I research, plan, buy the stuff, and then make my husband do the work!

Yesterday while putting the little one to bed, I decided they really needed flower boxes on the wall outside the bedrooms, so they had a nicer view than just the plain old Colourbond fence. So at 4:30pm, I threw them in the car and headed to the small but very good nursery that we prefer. Bought two hanging troughs, two trailing pink flower bushes and four white daisy-like flowers. Came home, put it all on the table and told DH exactly what I wanted! Unfortunately I forgot the S-hooks to attach them to the fence, so I'll have to head to Bunnings today and then we can plant them up tonight!

Many Sudden Enthusiasms.

Hi. Me here.

This will be my fourth attempt at blogging, so don't expect much!

I once heard (though I don't remember where) someone refer to themselves as someone with many sudden enthusiasms. This describes me to a T! I'm always jumping from one thing to another...most don't last long, but others hang around. I've tried:

~quilling

~knitting (my blanket is currently smaller than a pillow despite two winters of knitting on and off...luckily I chose a pattern and yarn that will last the test of time)

~crocheting

~scrapbooking

~sewing

and many others...

The two that have stuck around are digital scrapbooking and cupcaking, though our recent house move has delayed cupcakes indefinitely since the oven here is very temperamental!

Here's some of my cakes...this was a chocolate box for a friend's birthday...chocmud cakes with flavoured buttercream icing (strawberry, coffee, orange, vanilla, mint and chocolate).

And here's some of my scrapping...

Anyways, this blog seems like a good place to keep track of my projects, inspirations etc. Let's see if I make more than one post this time!