I heart Peter Pan Collars

For the last few seasons I have loved the peter pan collared shirts. At the end of summer, just as the new collections were hitting the shops for autumn, I saw this one in H&M.

Pearls, glass beads, sequins...it’s as if the designer new exactly what would make me get my purse out. However, I thought I’d have a go myself at making  my own pearly peter pan collar.

I already had a pattern piece from a previous project so placed this onto white cotton, and cut two pieces, then placed it onto some left over lace I had and cut one piece, and then onto a piece of sew-in interfacing and cut one piece.

I laid them on top of one another,  interfacing on the bottom, then white cotton, then lace, then white cotton again.

Next I sewed around the edge, (1.5cm  seam allowance) leaving a small gap, a couple of inches in length, through which it can be turned the right way out. Once turned right sides out I hand-stitched the gap closed and sewed a hook and eye clasp onto the pointed ends of the collar to fasten. Then came the long task of sewing on a seemingly endless amount of beads and sequins. This did take a LOT longer than I thought it would! But I know those beads are going nowhere!

Birthday Cake Bakes

My sister's Birthday is just after Christmas and this year we were together to celebrate it. My mom and me made a chocolate cake and stencilled her name in edible gold dust. I was very happy with the end result, it just made it that bit more personal and special.

Here are some more of my favourite Birthday cakes...

This was for a friends’ 18th. It’s banana bread loaf, with cream cheese frosting and topped with strawberries.

Another strawberry theme...for my mum this time. Inspired by Lorraine Pascale’s cake. She used chocolate cigarillo’s around the edge, but white chocolate Cadbury’s fingers were easier to come by.  It’s a chocolate cake base, and butter cream frosting. Strawberries are great for decoration, although I found they can be so juicy they don't look so good after a couple of days.

Another one for my mom, her all time favourite...Marmalade cake. This recipe is from ‘The Great British Bake Off’ 2011 cook book. And I have to admit, not being a fan of marmalade myself, I can still gobble up a big piece of this cake.

And I couldn't not include this epic addition. It was for my Birthday one year and just gi-normous! You can’t go wrong with that much frosting! 

I think it's time to try some new recipes for 2013. Happy baking.

Holiday snaps

I know it's been a while since Christmas, these holidays were about appreciating the moments of quiet and rest and also getting my education in Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. Here’s just a few snapshots  to go with it...

We made mini banofee pies, that were super easy but looked super cute. Recipe to follow :)

Playing Scrabble since the rule change, the challenge is convincing other players that "Lala" is a real name. And visiting Bakewell to fid the original original Bakewell pudding.I'm not really a big group person, so having one to one time with friends is important to me. One of my favourite things was going for coffee with my mom, and then browsing the charity shops with her, seeing the same crockery she owns in there! I even managed to find a couple of vintage tea cups that I love.

Here's to 2013!!

Bake and Take: Cookies

For Christmas Beth and I both had the same thought, that we should bake some cookies and take them round to our neighbours as a gift and at the same time invite them to a Christmas party at our house. This was following on from the summer street party that was organized for the Queen’s Jubilee this year. That was part of 'The Big Lunch' to help bring communities together, and it went really well. So this was an opportunity for us to continue building community.

We followed Martha Stewart’s basic sugar cookie recipe. Here's a brief version but you can find the whole thing at www.marthastewart.com

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. 

In a separate bowl cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until combined.

Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees/170/gas mark 3

Remove dough from the freezer and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Roll out 1/8 inch thick, and cut shaes with cookie cutters. 

Bake for 10-18 minutes. 

Decorate.

I was definitely a little bit  nervous about the response we would have, knocking on someone’s door and not being sure who will answer, but the response was great. Everyone we were able to speak to accepted them and we were able to have a quick chat in the cold too. Now we’re going to gear up for the party next week.

The High Life

 Dave’s fiance Nicole arrived in Leeds and so we welcomed her with a High Tea. 

I have to admit I cheated with the baking for this event. Perhaps it isn’t cheating but I used a cake mix from the store that you add an egg and milk to. I just didn’t have the time on the day to get everything done, that’s my excuse. It’s got to be the first time I’ve ever not made from scratch, but really, it made the whole thing a lot less stressful and pressured in the short time I had. And they still tasted fab. Lessons from using ready made cake mix though...

1. Read the package carefully! I bought extra icing sugar without realising it was included.

2. Be aware that the size/number of cakes it makes may not be what you’re used to. I’m used to making big cupcakes, but splitting the mix into the given number of cases meant they were, (in my eyes) very small, which was slightly disappointing. So I made fewer cakes of a larger size.

We did have some fully home-made goodies though. Doug made scones, the Canadian way. Well, I don't actually know if it’s typical Canadian, but the recipe is different to my usual one.

Beth set up the room with bunting and our various vintage tea cups. I really like the eclectic feel. And we made a variety of sandwiches...egg salad, smoked salmon, cucumber and ham cut into triangles to make them really fancy. 

If only we dined like this every day.

Super simple snowflake gift tags

Last year I was very excited about the gifts I found for my family and friends because I put a lot of thought into what to get for people. Part of the fun was also wrapping the gifts and making them look personal even before they were opened. This year I want to do the same, so I started by making these very simple gift tags.

I used card labels that were super cheap; pages from an old book I didn’t mind cutting up; scissors and glue.

Most of us can remember making paper snowflakes at school to stick on the windows, but here’s a refresher.

Cut two circles the size you want the snowflake to be. Fold the circle into 4 (or more if you can), and snip shapes out while folded. This is kind of fiddly since the circles are very small to begin with, using a smaller pair of scissors helped. Make sure you don’t cut away all the fold edge, or the snowflake will fall apart when opened.

Unfold the snowflake and glue to the gift tag. (It’s easier to put the glue onto the tag, then lay the snowflake on top) Then try out some variations...

I also replaced the string on some with ribbon to make them a little more Christmassy. Now I just need to buy the gifts to put them on.

 Happy Holidays!

Sewing room make-over

Since I started sewing more for a project we’re starting we decided that the small spare room could become our ‘Boutique’. A room for keeping the clothes donations we receive and for working on garments. So I tried to make it a bit more cosy since the days are dark outside.

Having a dedicated room for sewing is one of those things I list when I’m imagining my dream house. Along with a library like the one in ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and an infinity pool. 1 out of 3 isn’t bad...for now. I'll keep working on the pool.

I have to say thanks to everyone who donated clothes. It's been super helpful.