The Pasture Times

Woodland Cake Pops

2012-02-28T13:42:00.014-08:00

Week 10, Bake 10.

Cake pops! I have been looking to make these for a while, but I have had a long list of other bakes to bake first. Yet this week is cake pop week!

Cake pops are made in lots of stages; make the cake, crumble the cake, make and shape the pops, coat the pops and decorate them. So lets get started!Ingredients:

200g of butter (at room temperature)
110g of caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
110g of self-rising flour
1 teaspoon of cornflour
2 cups of icing sugar
1 packet of candy melts
Lolly pop sticks
royal icing for decorating

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c and line a cake tin with baking parchment.
First make the cake, do this by beating 110g of the soften butter together with the caster sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Now in a jug, beat the eggs together and add to the butter/sugar one tablespoon at a time, so not to curdle the mixture. Now beat in the vanilla essence into it.
Sift the flour and cornflour into the mixture and fold it in, so not to loose air.
Turn the cake into the lined tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the tin once cooked and cool until you are able to touch it.
Once cool crumble the cake into a mixing bowl, and make the whole cake into crumbs.
Now make your butter cream, beat the remaining butter and icing sugar together. Add this to your cake mixture and using your hands squish both the mixtures together until everything is combined.
You can now shape your cake pops. Once you have done this, pop them in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden up.
Meanwhile melt the packet of chocolate. Now dip a lolly pop stick into the chocolate and inset it into the bottom of your pop and put in back into the fridge for another 10-20 minutes. Do this for the rest of the cake pops. To make sure they stay the perfect shape, I put them into a block of oasis.
Now dip the whole cake pop into the melted chocolate to cover it then twist the pop to remove the excess chocolate.
At this point if you have made hedgehog shaped pops, you will want to use a fork to create the spikes.
To finish off your cake pops, decorate them by using your food colourings and royal icing.

Spring is here...

2012-02-26T08:48:00.015-08:00

Just a few pictures of spring, it has come on all of a sudden! It was 18c today and so here are some pictures of last weekends adventure, we went to a snowdrop walk in a neighbouring village. I like snowdrops, but I do prefer bluebells after growing up so close to a bluebell wood. We had a lovely walk around the woods and then had tea and cake in the local church, how English!

Above (from left to right: A single snowdrop, sunlit snowdrops, from inside the boathouse

Above (from left to right): roots in water and the church pews in Brinton church

Above (from left to right): me eating cake, crocus in our garden, a swan who went for a paddle

And now to end this blog with a piece of music which always makes me giggle, last may I sat with my grandparents listening to this record, 3 generations all in fits of giggles!

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park by Tom Lehrer on Grooveshark

Happy birthday to you...

2012-02-23T11:57:00.016-08:00

Week 9. Bake 9.

This weeks bake is for my father, he is #*@ (old) and this Saturday was his birthday. Now, sadly as a grumpy man he does not like icing. I know, whats wrong with him? Anyway so as it was his birthday I made him his favorite cake, at the expense of the rest of us - it was a date cake - yuck.

Anyway, so this is a date/fruit cake but because it is a birthday cake and therefore is special. Therefore I decided to paint one of his pictures (he is a brilliant photographer) onto a piece of royal icing. He can take the icing off the cake, but I wanted to give the cake a bit of birthday magic. So here is the picture, I will try and paint (I am terrible at painting, I mean really bad...)
So here is my family's fruit/date cake recipe:

Ingredients:

400g of self raising flour
200g of butter (salted)
200g of caster sugar
300g of dried fruit e.g. dates, currants, raisins
4 eggs
4 tablespoons of milk
Royal icing and food colouring for the picture

Method:

Grease a tin and pre-heat the oven to 180c.
Sieve the flour and add in the sugar and cubed butter into a large mixing bowl.
Rub the flour, sugar and butter together with your fingers until it becomes like breadcrumbs.
Now add the dried fruit, if using dates, chop them into half or thirds.
In a jug, beat the eggs and milk together, then add it to the mixing bowl.
Now combine all the ingredients together using a metal spoon.
Place the cake mixture into a lined tin (I used one with a pop-out bottom).
Cover the top of the tin with kitchen foil, so the top won't burn and cut out a small hole in it to allow steam out. (Otherwise you will have a steamed cake).
Cook for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Check to see if it is cooked by checking it using by sticking a metal skewer (or a knife) in to it and if it comes out clean, it is done.
Now cool on a wire cooling rack.
Meanwhile, cut out a circle of royal icing. Now draw out your design using a food colouring pen.
The thing to remember is that when you transfer it to the cake, try to make sure the surface is as level as possible otherwise it will crack.
Using food colouring as paints, paint your design. If you have too much colour on your brush, use kitchen towel to remove it or water it down with water.

Created with flickr slideshow.

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I know where I've been...

2012-02-22T02:25:00.007-08:00

As I have recently been put up on Craft Gossip's website and have had some very nice words written about me, which I am so chuffed about, I thought I would put up some more of my stitching.

This is a map of the world and the red line shows where I have been. I'm really proud of this, especially as it means that I can add to it when I go on holiday again.

So here is what I did:

I brought a canvas from one of those cheap stationary shops. You don't want to have it too small as it will be difficult to add detail to the world.
I then covered the canvas in calico, using a stapler.
Now the difficult bit. I traced a map of the world onto the calico and then started stitching (using a back stitch). This will take ages, but it can be done whilst watching television.
Now add the red thread and draw a line to the countries where you have been.
And your done! Keep some of the red thread so you can add to it when you travel.

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Claire's Eclair's

2012-02-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Week 8. Bake 8.

I have always loved eclair's, not just because of my name, but also they are so scrummy. So this weeks bake is focusing on choux pastry. After last weeks nightmare with hot water pastry, I being me, decided to not go for an easy pastry like shortcrust but instead make choux pastry which I last made in 2004 when I was on work experience under the watchful eye of a 5* pastry chef. I like a challenge. But to be honest, I found eclair's actually quite easy to make and I got to use my new icing nozzles!
Ingredients:

100g of plain flour
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
75g of unsalted butter
3 large eggs beaten
300ml of double cream (for the filling)
150g of dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa solids)
3 tablespoons of double cream (for the ganache)

Method:

Sift the flour onto a large piece of greaseproof paper. This will get air into the mixture.
Put the salt, butter and water into a saucepan and and gently heat until the butter is melted, then quickly bring it up to boiling point.
As soon as it boils, take it off the heat and pour in the sifted flour then beat it! The mixture will be a mess at first, but keep beating until it becomes a heavy dough.
Put the pan back on the heat and keep beating for 2-5 minutes, until the dough comes into a ball and when you press your finger into it the dough it is greasy.
Tip the dough out into a mixing bowl and allow to cool, until it is just warm.
Pre-heat the oven to 200c.
Now using an electric mixer slowly add the eggs in a bit at a time, mix well in between each addition. Once it is all added the mixture should look like a shiny paste and be liquid enough to be able to pipe. If you need to make it easier to pipe, break another egg and slowly add it until you get it to the right consistency. It should fall off a spoon slowly.
Now pipe the mixture with a wide circle nozzle onto a greaseproof paper. Pipe them 8cm long.
Bake for 15 minutes without opening the oven door. Then reduce the oven temperature to 180c and open the oven door to let the steam out. Cook for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and make a small hole in the end of each eclair's to let out steam and then pop them back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Whilst they cool, make the filling; whip the double cream in a bowl. Until you can pipe it.
Make the topping by melting the chocolate and remaining double cream in a bowl over a pan of boiling water (so not to burn it). Do this once the eclair's are cool.
Cut the eclair's in half and pipe the cream into the centre of them using a star shaped nozzle.
Now spread the chocolate ganache over the top of the eclair's using a palette knife.

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Pork Pie Time

2012-02-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Week7. Bake 7.

So this weeks bake is not a cake (for once) it is a pie. A pork pie. I'm not the biggest fan of pork pies but ever since I started this 52 bakes in 52 weeks thing, my dad has been telling me to make pork pies. So this weeks bake is for you dad!

I have adapted The Great British Bakes Offs pork pie to a slightly different recipe but have kept the quail eggs in the pies for two reasons:1. I love quail eggs
2. I actually know how to cook them (as part of our B&B we do a breakfast using quail eggs).

From this cooking experience I have learned that I hate making hot water crust pastry. It is hard to work with, it is crumbly, it is pesky to make and it is not worth the time. I would rather just buy pork pies. So I am not impressed with this pastry and probably won't make it again, but here is how I did it:

Ingredients:

200g of plain flour
40g of strong white bread flour
50g of butter
60g of lard
1 teaspoon of salt
200ml of boiling water (half for the pastry and half for the gelatine
1/2 a large onion
300g of sausage meat
100g of smoked bacon
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley and thyme)
1 good glug of Worcester sauce
6 Great Snoring quail eggs (which come from the sleepy Norfolk village of Great Snoring!)
Salt and pepper to season
1 Chicken stock cube
5g of powdered gelatine
1 egg beaten

Method:

Make the pastry: rub the sifted flour together with the butter to make breadcrumbs and make a well in the centre.
In a saucepan melt the lard and remove from heat. In a jug add salt to the 100ml of boiling water and pour VERY carefully into the lard (this will spit and splutter at you).
Once it has settled down, pour the lard mixture int the flour well. Now using a wooden spoon, quickly mix it together into a ball.
Once it is ok to handle, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it for a minute. Then roll it out till it gets to 3mm. You will have to work quickly as it cools and therefore hardens quickly and as a result it will be difficult to put into the muffin tin and will fall apart.
So using a 11.5cm diameter circle pastry cutter, cut out six circles and the mould them into the muffin tins. If you find that when you put the circles into the muffin tins they are very brittle and are breaking every time the pastry isn't warm enough - so using your hands mould the pastry back into a ball and roll out again quickly. This is a difficult balancing act and it may take a few goes.
Using the remainder of the pastry, cut out six lids for the pies (I used a 7cm diameter cutter, but for the best result your should probably use an 8cm cutter).
Once you are happy with the pies, pop them in the fridge to cool and now make the filling.
First pre-heat the oven to 190c. Then chop the bacon into rough cubes, dice the onion, chop the herbs and mix them all in a bowl with the sausage meat. At this stage season the mixture and add the Worcester sauce.
Leave that to rest while you soft-boil the quail eggs. To soft boil a quails egg, bring water in a saucepan up to boiling point and place (by using a metal spoon) six quail eggs (and one for luck!) into the water. Set the timer for 2 minutes and as soon as it beats take it off the heat and drop the quail eggs into a bowl of cool water.
Now peel them. Quail eggs have very tough shells so it will take some courage to crack them to start peeling them. Some people prefer to quail eggs under running water but I prefer doing it in a bowl of water.
Once they are all peeled, make up the pork pies. Do this by spooning some of the meat mixture into the bottom of each pie. Then place the quail egg into the centre and pile some more of the meat mixture on top.
Now beat an egg and brush the rim of the pies with it. Using a fork press the rims of the pies and lids together, or if you can do it crimp the pastry.
Using a piping nozzle put a hole in the top of each pie (to allow the steam to come out and the gelatine go in).
Top of each pie with a final egg wash and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Once cooked carefully remove them from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack.
Now make the gelatine. Do this by mixing the remaining water (boiling) to the chicken stock cube and the gelatine powder.
Using the icing nozzle again pour this gelatine into the pork pies. And pop in the fridge or cool on the counter top (if cooling in the fridge this will only take a few hours, if cooling on the counter top this will take overnight).
Now eat and enjoy.

Typically as this is the first non-cake bake my dad has spent his evening telling me how much he misses cake. Men!

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Making Whoopie...

2012-02-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

Week 6. Bake 6.

So as it is the start of the 6Nations rugby tournament this weekend my brother is coming home to listen to me and my dad bicker over which rugby player is the best. So with my brother in mind as I have so many bakes in mind I know he won't like, here is one he will like... hopefully!

And before we start here is some music to Make Whoopie to...
Makin' Whoopee by Soundtrack on Grooveshark

Ingredients:

240g of plain flour
85g of cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
55g of butter
55g of lard
220g of dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
250ml of milk

For the middle:

115g of soft butter
128g of icing sugar
1/2 a tub of Marshmallow fluff
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 190c and line a baking sheet with grease-proof paper.
In a bowl sift the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. I did this twice to add air into the mixture.
In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together for about five minutes - I did this by hand as I sadly don't have a kitchenaid mixer (but on the plus I have one big bicep now...).
Once it is lovely and light, beat in the vanilla essence and the beaten egg (one tablespoon at a time to ensure it doesn't curdle).
Now gradually beat in the flour and milk adding them both to the mixture in equal measures until it is all combined.
Using a tablespoon to measure drop blobs onto the baking sheet a couple of inches apart.
Cook for 9 minutes.
Once they are done, leave them on the tray for a minute or two to cool then transfer them onto a wire cooling rack.
Now, make the filling. To do this, beat the soft butter, the icing sugar, the vanilla essence and the Marshmallow fluff.
Place a big dollop of the filling onto the flat side of one of one of the sponges and then squish another sponge onto the filling and you have a Whoopie Pie!

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Did I ever mention that I love London?

2012-02-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't really embroidered much before, and once again instead of learning the 'proper' technique I jumped in and decided to create some cushions on a London theme.

So here are my three London cushions. I created three based on the things I love to do in London...

Visit St Paul's Cathedral

Take a trip on the heritage Routemaster

Listen to a classical music concert at St Martin in the Fields

So here are my lovely cushions, and if any of you have a day in London, go to St Paul's, hop on a Routemaster and relax in St Martin in the Fields...
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The Roux Legacy

2012-01-28T03:23:00.000-08:00

Just a not to everyone: on 29th of jan on the good food channel at 8pm is The Roux Legacy. It will show all of the Roux family cooking together. Now, I actually have a (tiny) connection to the Roux family, when I was 3 I was taught to cook a Tarte Tatin by Albert Roux. At the time I was taking french lessons on a Saturday (I don't know why - I was crap. Probably because my mum wanted to spend some peace and quiet in the library). Anyway, so me and the rest of my french class were taught how to cook my (now) favourite dessert from one of the greatest cooks there has ever been!

So I recommend you all watch it, particularly as being taught to cook by one of the famous Roux brothers was one of my earliest memories.

Below is a picture of me being taught by the legend Albert Roux and it is signed by him! And to the right is me, scraping out the bowl after baking a cake - times never change!

A Cheer-Up Cinnamon Bun

2012-01-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

Week 5. Bake 5.

So this week has not been the best, and things keep going down hill. So this weeks bake is cheer-up cinnamon buns (they are only 'cheer-up' buns as they taste so good and cheered me up!).

Ingredients:

180ml of milk
105g of soft butter
450g of plain flour
1 packet of dried yeast (7g)
50g of white sugar
3/4 tsp of salt
60ml of water
1 egg
300g of brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon

For the glaze:

15g of butter
120g of icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2-3 tablespoons of warm water

Method:

In a saucepan warm the milk and once it is warm take it off the heat and melt 60g of the butter into it. Leave it to cool.
In a separate bowl mix the sifted flour, yeast, sugar and (1/2 a teaspoon of) salt together and make a well in the centre. Now add in the egg, water and the cool milk/butter mixture and bring it together to a dough. It may seem a bit dry at this point but once you turn it out onto a clean surface and start kneading it, the dough will become more moist.
Now knead it for five minutes.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile in a separate bowl mix the rest of the butter, the brown sugar, the cinnamon and the rest of the salt together in a bowl.
Now roll out the dough into a rectangle 12"x9".
Spread the sugar mixture as a thin layer over the dough, then roll the dough into a long sausage.
Divide the roll of the dough into 12 separate rolls and place them into a cupcake case in a muffin tin. Now cover them in a warm place and leave them to double in size for 30 minutes. At this point pre-heat the oven to 190c.
Bake for 15 minutes and then immediately take them out of the cupcake cases to cool on a wire rack.
Now quickly make the glaze, by adding the soft butter, icing sugar, vanilla essence and water in a bowl and beating it. Once you get it to the consistency you want (by adding water) then drizzle over the cinnamon buns.

And that's it!

Sadly I don't think they are going to last the night...

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My Rocky Road Chocolate Brownies

2012-01-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

Week 4. Bake 4.

I know that it is terrible to do two chocolate brownie bakes in a row, but I had an idea to create Rocky Road Chocolate Brownies. Yum.

Ingredients:

All the ingredients from my basic brownie recipe found here.

For the Rocky Road topping:

Small marshmallows
One or two rich tea biscuits
One hand full of raisins
40-50g of chocolate chips

Method:

So to make these brownies all you need to do is use last weeks recipe for the basic brownie.
Now once you get to the stage where you have just spooned the mixture into your lined tin, now press in the marshmallows.
Break up into chunks the rich tea biscuits and squish them into the top of the brownie.
Sprinkle over the raisins and chocolate chips and cook for 18 to 20 minutes in the oven.

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Chocolate Brownies

2012-01-15T06:07:00.000-08:00

Week 3. Bake 3.

So today's bake is one which I rarely make but absolutely LOVE. Chocolate brownies. This is a basic brownie recipe and I have already decided what I am going to add to my brownies next time, so stay tuned for Raspberry Rocky Road Chocolate Brownies...yum! So here is the basic recipe to start from.

Ingredients:

200g of dark cooking chocolate (I used chocolate with 72% solids)
100g of unsalted butter
250g of caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
60g of plain flour
60g of cocoa

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c and line a tray bake tin (approx 22 x 22cm)
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of water - this allows it to melt slowly and not to burn.
Once this has melted, set to one side and allow to cool (as if you add it to the brownie mixture too quickly it will melt the butter).
Now beat the butter and add in the sugar and beat together until light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes if you are doing it by hand).
Beat the eggs together and then add them to the butter/sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time, beating it all the time.
Now beat in the vanilla essence and the chocolate (which should now be cool enough). Mix well.
Sift the flour and cocoa twice (this will add air to the mixture) and fold it into the brownie mixture.
Now pour the brownie mixture into the lined tin and place into the pre-heated oven and cook for 18-20 minutes.
Once cooked (you can tell as there will be a slight wobble in the centre) leave in the tin to cool.
Once cool, transfer from the tin to a cutting board and cut up the brownies into squares.

Now eat! (Store in an air tight tin for 4-5 days, but they probably wont last that long).

And just when I had finshed making my brownies I saw my cat sunggled up in one of my vintage bags... so cute.

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Because it is January and we need some laughter...

2012-01-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas there has been lots of Morcambe and Wise on the BBC (as there should be at Christmas) and I just love them - this is one of their best sketches, but there are so, so many other brilliant ones!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2012-01-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

Week 2. Bake 2.

My brother is home this week and out of all of the bakes on my list he wanted me to bake a red velvet cake, so being the good little sister I am, my bake this week is Red Velvet Cupcakes.

I have never had Red Velvet Cupcakes let alone made them. So here is the recipe for my Red Velvet Cupcakes.

(on a different matter, I have just learnt how to spell ingredients - so chuffed as I am dyslexic!).

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of red food colouring
1 tablespoon of cocoa
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
60g of salted butter (room temperature)
150g of caster sugar
1 egg
120ml of buttermilk
140g of sifted plain flour
10g of sifted corn flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar
American butter cream icing

Method:

In a small bowl mix the cocoa powder together with the red food colouring. Add the vanilla essence.
In a separate bowl beat the room temperature butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. This took me about 5-6 minutes as I don't have a Kitchenaid mixer sadly, so I beat all my cakes by hand until I can afford one.
Now beat the egg in a cup, and slowly add it to the butter/sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time, beating constantly.
Now add the cocoa mixture to the big bowl and beat it for a minute or so.
Pour in half of the buttermilk and beat it into the mixture, then add half of the flour (add the plain flour and the corn flour together to do this).
Now beat the mixture, add the rest of the buttermilk, beat it in and then add the final amount of flour.
At this point add the final ingredients, the vinegar and the baking soda into the cupcake mixture and mix for a minute or two.
Now put the cupcakes into cases and bake at 170c for 20 minutes.
Once they come out of the oven, leave them for a minute in the tin and then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
The finish off the cupcakes with either cream cheese frosting or butter cream icing (like I did).

I don't think that I will make these cupcakes again, for one reason, I don't like the fact that they are basically chocolate cupcakes and yet they are red. Chocolate cupcakes should be chocolate coloured. Another reason why I don't think I will make them again is that they are not my regular cupcake recipe and as a result I don't think they are as light and fluffy. (Check back for my cupcake recipe). So as recipes go, its not the best, but it tastes good!

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On your marks, get set, bake!

2012-01-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

52 weeks. 52 bakes.
Week 1. Bake 1.

Today was my first. Victoria Sponge.

To be honest I used the recipe from The Great British Bake Off cookbook. So I probably shouldn't put the recipe up on my blog, and I wont. But here is what I have learned today whilst making it.

To make the best cake use butter which has been out of the fridge for about 1 hour.
Beat the sugar and butter together for 4-5 minutes which will make it much lighter.
Measure the cake tin lining carefully or you will get crinkly edges to your cake.

And a happy new year...

2011-12-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

So Christmas has now come and gone, the mince pies have been eaten, Santa has left sooty footprints all over the previously clean floor and we head into that period of the year which I hate - new years. I have never been a fan of new years eve, and even less of a fan of the resolutions that people make then slip up on four, five days later. But this year I will make a new years resolution, mainly because being jobless I might actually be able to keep it. Unlike everyone elses resolutions mine will not be focused on loosing weight (although I should really), but it will be the complete opposite - over the next 52 weeks I shall bake 52 different dishes.

I had thought about this before Christmas and luckily I was given The Great British Bake Off book for Christmas, which will be a guide throughout my quest. However I will deviate from this.

Stay tuned for my first bake in January...

Santa Claus is Coming to Town...

2011-12-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

So whilst I was at the craft fair I busied myself with making some Christmas stockings.
For the last month I have been collecting different ribbons, this has now sparked a new love affair between me and ribbons and I plan to use more soon. Anyway so I made these traditional Christmas stockings with my family's names on it for that personal touch! They are very simple to do;

Cut our two stocking shapes by drawing your desired pattern on an old newspaper and depending on your preference either embroider the names on first of last.
Now turn over the top of the stocking to create a neat edge and sew it into place. Do this on both pieces of the stockings.
Sew the ribbons on using a similar colour thread, don't worry about the ends, they will be neatened up when you sew they two stocking sides together.
Now sew the two sides together and add a loop of ribbon so you can hang it on your bedpost/mantle piece.

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My first craft fair...

2011-12-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am very sorry that I haven't written a blog post recently, but I have been rather busy with my parents B&B. Anyway here is my account of how my first craft fair went and the key things that I have learnt.

What I have learnt from my limited craft fair experience:

Edible glitter is even better than sliced bread.
However great edible glitter is, it does get EVERYWHERE.
It appears that my cupcakes have positives and negatives. Positive, when a child sees them they get a huge smile on their face (the sort you would see in a Disney movie). Negative, they can make even the nicest children have a tantrum when their parents tell them they can't have one. I really hope that as a result the children who were denied cupcakes are not on the naughty list.
Know your audience, it appears that a small village in Norfolk don't get the chic cupcakes or the vintage tea cup candles - they prefer pewter manicure sets and leather mugs (how can a mug be leather, its ridiculous!). So understand whether your craft fair prefers modern crafts or traditional.
Take something to do so you don't just sit there expectantly like a loser.

At least next year I know what not to make.

The Make Do and Mend Bag...

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another one of the crafts that I will be selling at the local craft fair is a handmade clutch bag. I got the pattern from a British Pathe film and decided to make it as it seemed quick and easy... So here is the original video on how to make a clutch bag and my updated guide. Enjoy!

BAGS (issue title - FOR GOODNESS SAKE !)

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;iframes&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

What to do:

So I pretty-much followed the video, I got a 1/4 of a metre of tweed style fabric from my local sewing shop for £3 and then cut out a rectangle 'pattern' from a newspaper.
I then cut out the material for the padding, (two pieces of thin wadding), the silk lining and the cardboard to stiffen it up.
I then sewed the lining to the tweed fabric, right sides facing together, but left one of the ends open. Turn the bag inside out to have the right sides facing out.
Now slip in the cardboard stiffing and the two pieces of padding either side of the cardboard.
Sew up the end and fold the bag over to create the bag pocket.
Now stitch two of the sides to secure the bag pocket.
Sew on two snap fasteners on each end of the top of the bag and where it should fasten to. Now it is finished!
As the film says if you want you can 'add the broach that he gave you', well as I don't have a he, I will search the charity shops for a suitable cheap vintage broach.

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Yet Another Christmas Craft...

2011-11-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

So in a previous post I showed the result of my first attempt at making tea cup candles. Well for the craft fair I decided to make some Christmas smelling ones. I'm hoping to get seven or eight pounds for them (which I maintain is still considerably cheaper than on notonthehighstreet.com). So here is my quick guide to creating some Christmas tea cup candles.

Here is what you need:

Tea cups - I have used 3 different types of tea cups and made 10 in total.
Fragrance (I brought Blue Christmas and Hollidazzle)
Wax
Colouring
Wicks

What I did:

Weigh out how much wax you need, to fill a tea cup with a candle it is the ratio of of a cup and a half of unmelted wax.
Once you know how much wax you need and have weighed it, choose your colour. The amount you will need about 1g of colour to every 100g of wax, but add more or less depending on how much colour you want.
No melt the wax, I did it in a old jug in the microwave. This took about 2 minutes, but I checked it regularly. If it is not totally melted then pop it in for another 30 seconds.
Now wait for the wax to cool until it is approx 55c. You need to let the wax cool before adding the fragrance otherwise it will evaporate. Add about a ratio of 5-10% fragrance to wax (e.g. 100g of wax 10ml of fragrance).
Once you have stirred this in well, dab the end of the wick in some of the wax and stick it onto the bottom of the tea cup.
Holding the wick, slowly pour the melted wax into the tea cup.
Hold the wick until it stands up by itself.
Now leave to cool for a day, trim the wick to 5cm and light your Christmas tea cup candle!

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Claire's Christmas Orange...

2011-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

So I saw this idea in a garden centre the other day whilst I was wondering around the Christmas section in awe. Anyway, a bag of these orange slices/decorations cost £8.99! I maintain why buy something when you can make it much cheaper? So here is my cheaper version:

All you need is:

Chopping board
Knife
Pastry brush
A baking tray with a cooling rack on top of it
Oranges
Cinnamon

What to do:

Slice the oranges into 1/4 inch slices, discard the ends of the oranges.
Dab the oranges with kitchen towel to get rid of the excess juice.
Pour some of your Cinnamon powder onto the chopping board, then using the pastry brush, gently spread a small amount of Cinnamon over the front and back of each slice.
Then pop them on the cooling rack on a baking tray and place them in the oven at 120c.
Let them cook in the oven for at least 3hrs checking them occasionally.
Let them cool on the cooling rack then use them to decorate your tree (by threading ribbon through them) or arraigning them in a pot porri bowl.

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11/11/11

2011-11-11T04:14:00.001-08:00

So today is the 11/11/11. As (hopefully) you all know, it is armistice day. So I decided to post a video of the armistice day in 1920 when the unknown solider was buried. Here is a British Pathe following the soldiers final journey.

ARMISTICE DAY

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Read a extract from a woman's diary in 1941 on armistice day here.

A Crafty Little Air freshener...

2011-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

As a quick and simple little stocking filler for the craft fair we decided to make these Christmas car air fresheners. Sew two pieces of fabric together on three edges, right sides facing in. Turn it out to make a small bag, and fill the bottom of the bag with three teaspoons of cloves. Then add a few scraps of wadding above the cloves. Cut the tops off the bags with crinkle craft scissors and tie them close with a piece of ribbon. Then, there you go, a quick and lovely smalling Christmas car air freshener!

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It's beginning to look a lot like chirstmas...

2011-11-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

So this year (at the last minute) me and my mum have found out that we have a stall at our local Christmas craft fair in our village. It appears that in Norfolk this is a big deal and this fair gets a lot of people coming to it! Anyway with less than a month to go we are now on hyperdrive to try and make enough sell able items in time. So today I am going to make mincemeat! Not just any mincemeat though, Mrs Beeton's mincemeat.

Like with so many of my projects they start out with one thing in mind and often divert off the subject as my craft supplies/ingredients change, so instead of all the specified amount of raisins I am adding in 200g of dried cherries. So here is my sampled Mrs Beeton's recipe - please not that these quantities are for 18lbs as I am making lots of jars for the craft fair, so reduce the quantities for your mincemeat (as you probably don't want a dyslexic to do the maths)!

Ingredients:

6 large cooking apples
3 large lemons
2lb of raisins (but we did 200g of cherries, 500g of sultanas and 500g of raisins)
2lb currants
2lb of suet
4lb of soft light brown sugar
2oz of candied orange peel
2oz of candied lemon peel
4tbsp of orange marmalade
18 fl oz of brandy

What to do:

Core the apples, and put them in an oven at 200c and cook 50-60 minutes until tender. I put mine in the microwave for about 3 minutes (800w) and leave them to cool.
Wash, dry and grate the lemons, squeeze out the juice into a big mixing bowl.
Once the apple is cool, scoop out the flesh and add it to the mixing bowl.
Add all the remaining ingredients and give it a good mix.
Cover the bowl and leave it for two days, stirring occasionally.
Pot up the mincemeat and press it down well to avoid air pockets. Cover and store for two weeks before using.

*remember you must cook this before eating it*

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October

2011-10-30T04:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I apologise for not writing a blog for AGES, there is no excuse as I have only been slightly busy. Anyway so here is a blog about the flower arrangements I have been making for my parents Bed and Breakfast. Another idea from Martha Stewart I recently found was a pumpkin vase...

So here is how to do it...

1. This time I decided to use squashes however I do warn against this as squashes are very hard to carve. Use pumpkins, so much easier and the effect is the same. So, carve the top off your pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and flesh (use the flesh to make pumpkin soup).

2. Put either a small pot in the pumpkin or I used a freezer bag in the centre and fill it up with water.

3. Now start arranging your flowers. Make sure you hide the tub or freezer bag by arranging flowers over them.

And finally here is our family carved pumpkins, left is my aunt Jane's, middle left is my bothers, middle right my dads and right is mine... Happy Halloween.

Also, thank you to everyone who has been visiting my blog from Ikea Hackers.

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Happy Birthday Singer!

2011-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

This year is the 160th anniversary of Singer Sewing Co. We have four in our house, I brought mine two years ago and since then have made a dress and a number of crafty projects on it. My parents have three! Once they saw my beautiful Singer it appears my dad became obsessed at buying them from our local auction. We now have the three, each in their own window in the living room. So as you can tell we love Singers.

I recently found a brilliant website where you can post your Singer Sewing Machine stories in celebration of the wonderful item. So take a look at other peoples stories here.
And to end this post on the beautiful Singer Sewing Machine the brilliant Beatles movie 'Help' dedicated their film to Elias Howe, "who in 1846 invented the sewing machine." And the film finishes with a picture of a Singer Sewing Machine, classic and brilliant.

And here are two British Pathe films on Singer Sewing Machine...

SEWING MACHINES - OLD AND NEW

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SEWING MACHINES

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Breakfast at Tiffany's

2011-10-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

On October 5th 1961 Breakfast at Tiffany's was released in US cinemas. This year it is its 50th anniversery and well worth a watch! And so here is one of the best bits from it...

This weeks top craft picks from other websites:

2011-10-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lateness of this blog post but I have had a very busy week making jams, soups and jelly's!

From Apartment Therapy is this brilliant light decor. I really want to have a go at this one!
All the crafty blogs are now getting ready for Halloween and I love these! Very imaginative! Have a look over at Craftzine.
Another Apartment Therapy is this brilliant 'back to school' canvas which would liven up any classroom or children's room.
Finally is this chest of draws painted and then decoupaged with birds on it. Usually I don't like this sort of decoupage but I love this and will give it a go next time I need to decorate a piece of furniture! Have a look at Cottage Hill for details.

Fig and Apple Jam

2011-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Today we picked our apple harvest. 106 pounds (48kg) worth of apples. So we decided to use some of them to make fig and apple jam to add to my parents jam menu at their Bed and Breakfast. So here is the recipe I used for the fig and apple jam, which I found on google.

Ingredients:

1lb of figs, diced.
2 cooking apples (approx 1/2 a lb), peel, cored, diced.
Juice of 3 lemons
Grated rind of one lemon
2 cups (500ml) of white sugar

What to do:

Place the chopped apples and figs in a large heavy base pan. Add the lemon juice and rind and cook gently over a medium heat.
When the figs are very soft and the apple is mushy add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil and boil until the jam has reached its setting point (check this by the saucer test or using a thermometer until it reaches 105 degrees).
Ladle into clean jars.

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Saw this on British Pathe today...

2011-09-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

Just saw this video of boxing kangaroo's and thought I should share it... as it made me laugh. I really need to explore more of British Pathe's archive, but for now I shall laugh at this!

I love Autumn

2011-09-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

I really love Autumn, the cool sunny days, the wind rushing through the trees, the television programs suddenly get better and the best thing about autumn is the fashion! I have never really been one for the flip flops and swim wear of summer, I prefer my boots, a chunky scarf and my lovely 20's style cloche hat.

Anyway, even though I have no money, I still love to buy the fashion magazines and it turns out that this autumn 1940's (typical when I have no money) and Fair Isle knits are in fashion. It seems that I am either ahead of the trend (or far behind it) as for the last two years I have knitted two Fair Isle jumpers. So here are the pictures of my first jumper, if you want the pattern to make your own, I found it here.I shall put the pictures of my other Fair Isle knit up another day as I don't want to bore you...

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This weeks top craft picks from other websites:

2011-09-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

With Halloween a month away, crafty blogs and websites all over the world are now putting up their home-made costume ideas and this one is brilliant. It combines two of my loves, Lego and Indiana Jones! Find it here at Instructables.
Keeping on the Halloween theme here is a nifty Halloween food idea... A chocolate spider-web cake. Have a look at the how-to guide at i am baker.
I am also loving these pumpkins from one of my new favorite blogs, Glorious Treats.
And finally a non-Halloween idea from the brilliant website Ikea Hackers. This is an inventive way of creating a table...

Online Diary's

2011-09-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

I love learning anything about the 1930's and 40's, I don't know why but I really find it fascinating. Recently I stumbled across two blogs which diary's which were kept during the second world war. I love reading them as they show a real perspective of what life was like in WW2. One is so popular that it has now been turned into a book and would be a great Christmas present (*hint* *hint*).

So I thought I would share them with you:

Blitz Diary follows a 19 year old Eileen Kelly who lives and works in London. She only kept one line a day but it is easy to become addicted...

The second blog has recently been released as a book in America, and as a result they don't post blogs everyday or you wouldn't buy the book. Yet it is still fascinating and easy to get hookes. World War Two London Blitz Diary (1939-1945) follows Ruby Side Thompson who lived in Romford in London in the middle of the blitz. At the age of 57 she divulges her life to her diary and talks of her unhappy marriage, the bombs falling and her seven sons!

If your interested in America in the 1960's then I recommend Her Five Year Diary, which looks at life for a woman 50 years ago today. Usually there is only one sentence per day but it is uploaded daily.

I am still looking for others but they are fascinating reads...

This weeks top craft picks from other websites:

2011-09-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

So here are this weeks top picks:

Crafts which use toilet rolls - very strange but it actually looks really good! Love it. Have a look at The Handmade Circus.
I saw this and think I might try it - easy way of carving a pumpkin (without haveing any artistic tallent - like me!). Have a look at the cheats way to carve pumpkins.
And finally, a great card from Martha Stewarts website. Good old Martha Stewart and her brilliant craft ideas!

Rosehip and Apple Jelly

2011-09-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

So here is my second recipe from my foraging fruit (and the apples which came from the garden).
Rosehip and Apple Jelly:

Ingredients:

1kg of windfall apples
1lb of rosehips
800g (approx) of sugar

So here is what to do:

Peel, quarter and core the apples. To prevent the apples from browning sprinkle with lemon juice if necessary. Put the apples in a preserving pan (a heavy base metal pan) and add enough water to cover them and half a pint extra.
Cook the apples until they soften and turn to a pulp. Whilst this is happening, take the spikey bits off the rosehips and chop into half.
Once the apples are in a pulp, add the rosehips to the mixture and simmer for 10-20 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Sterilize a jelly bag by putting it in boiling water, let this cool before you touch it and then pour the apple-rosehip mixture into it.
Suspend the jelly bag over a non-metallic bowl and allow it to drip overnight.
Measure the juice which has dripped in the bowl (I got 2 pints) and then bring this to boil in a preserving pan. For every pint of juice stir in 400gs of warmed sugar and keep stirring until it is dissolved.
Boil the juice to a setting point of 105 degrees. You can tell this by a jam thermometer or completing the saucer test.
Once it is at setting point, pour it into sterilized jars and seal immediately.

Store in a cool, dry place.

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Blackberry and Sloe Port Jelly.

2011-09-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

So here is my recipe for Blackberry and Sloe Port Jelly.

Ingredients:

1lb of Sloes
1 pint cold water
4lb of Blackberries
Juice of one lemon
1 and a half lbs of white sugar
3 tablespoons of Port

So here is what to do:

Wash the Sloes and prick them with a fine skewer. Put them in a large heavy pan and add the pint of water then bring it to the boil.
Rinse the Blackberries in cold water then add them into the pan, at this point juice the lemon and add it to the pan.
Bring the fruit to the boil again and simmer stirring occasionally to make sure the stones don't get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
After 20 minutes or when the Sloes and Blackberries are soft, sterilize a jelly bag (by putting it in boiling water).
Pour the fruit and juices into the jelly bag. Put the jelly bag on a hook and suspend it over a non-metallic bowl for at least four hours or overnight.
Measure the juices which have drained from the bag, I got approx a pint and a half of juice and pour into a preserving pan. For every pint of juice add 1lb of sugar.
Stir the sugar in over a high heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 10-20 minutes or until the jelly reaches a setting point.
You can check this by the saucer test. This is where you put a saucer of the jelly in the fridge and leave it for two or three minutes, if it is set it will wrinkle when you run your finger through the center of the jelly.
As soon as it is set skim the scum off the surface of the the pan and then add the Port. Add 3 tablespoons of Port to the jelly and stir in.
Pour the jelly into jam jars using a funnel, as soon as you have poured the jelly into the jars, put the lids on as this will allow the jars to seal.

Store in a cool, dry place and once open refrigerate.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! It is a cheap jelly to make as all I had to pay for was the lemon, sugar and a little bit of Port.

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This weeks top craft picks from other websites:

2011-09-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

This weeks top craft picks are:

A quick and easy record clock which looks great on any wall. To find out how to make it look at Polish The Stars Blogspot.
I love love love all of these cakes but especially the Singer cake. I really should make more cakes and have a go at making interesting shape ones... Have a look at Cake Wrecks to view some of their others. You have to love any website which has a Singer sewing machine cake on it!
A lovely Mod Podge suitcase. Such a cute decoupage idea. Look at Skunk Boy Creatures for a how-to.
A frame with 52 weeks worth of Polaroid pictures in it to document the year, a lovely idea from a lovely blog: One Sheepish Girl.
The final pick for today is another frame idea, a very similar idea, but can be used on smaller frames. A great idea from Sweet Peach.

On a sunny autumn day I went foraging...

2011-09-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I went for a bike ride in the September sunshine to forage for Autumn fruit. We didn't get very far out of the village as we were on the hunt for blackberries, rosehips and sloes. We didn't have a plan of what we would actually make with them but as the hedgerows are ladened with them and my parents want to create a jam menu for their B&B, me and my dad hopped on our bikes and went searching.

So here is what I have learnt when foraging for blackberries, rosehips and sloes:

Rosehips are evil, they have thorns which make the rosehips seem like they don't want to be picked - take gardening gloves!
The same goes for Sloes.
Backberries live in bushes where stinging nettles, rosehips and holly live - again, take gardening gloves!
It takes a long time to get a small amount of fruit.
Cycling in a pencil skirt is very difficult.

To come: Port, Sloe and Blackberry Jelly, and Apple and Rosehip Jelly recipes.

Pictures: (left to right) Sloes, Rosehips, and my fruit-stained hands.

A childhood memory...

2011-09-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a beautiful village in Sussex, we lived in a basic end of terrace house yet this house was set in the beautiful wield. Our garden stopped short of an area of outstanding natural beauty and even though our house wasn't beautiful, a year before we moved from it I decided to make a knitted doorstop to have at university.

So here is my slightly quirky knitted doorstop and pictures of my old home to show you how similar (or not) they are.

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Take Courage

2011-09-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

Whenever I went home from university back to Sussex, I would always go on the City Thameslink line over London. I love this line, you get to sit on the train and go past some of the best parts of London; St Pauls, the Thames, The Globe, The Tate Modern (unfortunately), Borough Market and London Bridge. But by far my favorite part of this short journey was going past an old advert on the side of a building. This Take Courage advert was painted right onto the brick and I loved it. Whenever I was feeling low, I would end up looking at this advert. It is even the wallpaper on my phone.

So the point of this blog is to tell you that I believed that one of the best brick adverts in London was gone, back in September I could not see it when I went past it - in my defence I was very tired and it now appears that I got it wrong. The brilliant Take Courage advert is still there and appears to have never moved, so I am once again in love with my beautiful London and am so pleased to know there is still some courage in London.

This weeks top craft picks from other websites:

2011-09-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

So here are this weeks top craft picks, I haven't done it sooner as I have been busy this week decorating a holiday cottage. So I have learnt that my skills don't lye in laying tiles (even though I can grout) and I have learnt that I don't like building cabinets! Anyway back to crafts to cheer me up, here are this weeks best:

I had promised not to make any more scarfs, as I have too many already, but I really want to give this one a go! PurlBee is such a cute blog and I love this scarf...
I saw this party and just loved it! An Alice in Wonderland themed party, where they have painted the roses red! Even though I'm 22, this is going to be the theme of my next party!
Autumn is here, which I usually love as it is my favourite season so here is a lovely autumn bunting idea, put away the floral summer bunting and welcome in the autumn leaves! Have a look over at Life With Little Ones.
Keeping on the scarf theme, this is a very cute girly jersey scarf. Love it - but I really must stop looking/making scalfs! Have a look at A Cup of Sparkle.
And finally the geek in me is out again today as here is such a cute take on Star Wars. I love it, bright colours and cute characters. Look at Feeling Stitchy for a lovely blog.

British Pathe

2011-08-31T03:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday whilst I was making a kitchen cabinet for my parents holiday cottage business I was listening to Radio 2 they were talking about British Pathe. As in the past I have watched documentaries about British Pathe I was excited to learn that British Pathe have put their archives on the Internet. So today whilst I was cooking marmalade I decided to take a look... I am now addicted!

I decided to start by typing in "Sexism" - as I had hoped there would be videos from the 50's showing people how not to be sexist. There is no 'how to guide' but there is a lot of sexist comments which made me laugh, so here are my few favourite videos that I found today! Click on the picture to view the video (opens a new window).