Simple Lemon Cakes in a busy birthday week!

Just cooling and ready for the tasting..

 

 

It is a busy week, Daddy has been away and Baby L is one next week. I have been so busy with preparation for her first birthday and now glad that Daddy is back in the country.

Tonight was a quick supper  Spaghetti with a creamy mushroom and spinach sauce. Daddy isn't veggie so I always add some parma ham to his. This is so easy and whilst the spaghetti is cooking I saute mushrooms and add garlic and cream in to make a sauce.


Baby L has really been missing Daddy whilst away and pointing to any wedding picture in the house saying 'daddy!' Very glad that he is come as I think she feel more rested.

I am trying to make felt this week, it more a challenge. I was bought for my birthday so lovely books on vintage and homemade looks and decided to have a bash.One was Kirstie Allsopp's Vintage Style book which has inspired me to take out what I have got in my sewing and knitting bag and just create. The felt has now been made by boiling the jumpers in a pan for one hour and now it can be made into little baby creatures!

Today, I have so nearly finished her party dress, an old vintage 1950's pattern made in cotton. It is been great to dig out an old pattern and learn how patterns used to be written. I just need to finish off the hems and bows as we have a dress.


The lemon cakes are just for us, I had a hot oven and whisked them up. Tomorrow I'll head up to the farm to get some eggs for baby's birthday cake - a double tier sponge iced in butter cream and glazed autumn flowers and pale green icing. So I have party bags to do, beds to make and silver bracelets to finish.. Here is the un-iced lemon and fruit cake ready for icing tomorrow!...Off to bed..




Simple Lemon Cakes

 

What You Need  -

100g caster sugar
25g brown sugar
2 tablespoons cream
1 zest of lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
125g self raising flour
2 eggs

 

Go Create!

Pre heat the oven to 180C

1. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one by one and beat.
3. Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla.
4. Stir in the cream.
5. Sift in the flour.
6. Fold the flour in strong folding movements until fully mixed.
7.Take a cake tin and out 12 cases in the tray, then fill 3/4 full with mixture.
8. Bake until golden.

The texture is lovely and light but the sugar gives them a little crunch.

Enjoy!
 

Baby Hand Stitched Keepsake

New Baby and what a great time to share.

Mark the occasion with this one off baby keepsake card.

Making something personal for a new baby is a joy and very welcomed by new parents or grandparents.. Enjoy the personalising for make your just unique.

These are really easy to make, you will need a card, wadding, bias binding, fabrics, ribbons and embroidery threads. Plus about one hour and you can make your own baby keepsake.

Simple step by step to make your own keepsake

1. Firstly cut out your own heart shape to fit your card. Cut out the wadding to fit.

 2. Bias the edges and stitch on a ribbon and cover the ends with a button.

3. Take your ribbons and buttons and start to stitch your keepsake. I used three pieces of fabric, three beads/buttons and some embroidery threads. Very simple and unique. Make sure your colour palette matches.

 4. It is all in the details, be quirky, use buttons instead of stitching a 'O' .

 5. Take your finished keepsake and stick onto your card with a suitable sticker - why not print your own off your printer. Stamp with a cute nappy pin onto your card.

6. I just love that each time you look at these keepsake you can see different things.

So why not have a go and stitch a keepsake card, you can detach the keepsake from the card and hang on baby's cot.

 

Autumn Vegetables & Spaghetti in a Basil Grappa Sauce

This dish is halfway to a risotto; rich, creamy with a hint of lemon, basil and grappa...

Sometimes you just don't have the time to make risotto, all the stirring and chopping. This is a great alternative giving you still those key tastes you get with a risotto - lemon, garlic, creamy but much quicker.

You Will Need -

Seasonal Vegetables  -
Half cauliflower
2 carrot
1 white onion
1 yellow pepper

Handful of basil leaves
1 tablespoon grappa (or vermouth)
1 lemon grated and juiced
1/4 pt cream
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
1 cup strong cheese
1 small dried red chili
Salt & pepper to taste

Spaghetti for 4

Serves 4

Go Create!

1. Steam the cauliflower and carrots until tender.

2. Saute the onion, peppers, garlic, chili and add the lemon.

3. Add the steamed vegetables to the onion mix and saute.

4. Add the grappa and cream and stir.

5. Boil a pan of salted water and cook the spaghetti as per packet.

6. Just before serving add the oil,basil and cheese to the vegetables and season to taste.

7. Drain the pasta and stir in the vegetables.

Hand Painted Skirt

Looking for that personal design?

... with a few fabric paints and a bit of creative flair you can make this simple design in a few hours....

 

You will need fabric paints and a denim skirt. Denim is great as is covers a lot of sins in your painting. As it is distressed you can distress your design as well to cover up mistakes!

Fabric paints can be bought on the Internet or in your local haberdashery. I use the pots instead of paint sticks as you can paint with them using a normal painting set of brushes.

To paint your design, cover your crafting table with plastic and then put an old plastic bag between the skirt so the paint doesn't seep through.

Then create away, flowers are always a safe bet for clothing. Once your creation is dry you can take your sandpaper or even a cheese grater and grate or sand away.


This covers your mistakes and also make it look like you painted it years ago!