Sunday, 30 September 2012

Its what on the inside that counts...



These cookies look a bit minging to be honest but it justs proves 
its what on the inside that counts coz there only massif!!! 

Heres the recipe coz its super easy to do, 
preheat oven to 180

in a bowl, feck in
5oz of flour
5oz of sugar
4oz of soft butter
half tsp of baking powder
2 tbsp on peanut butter
1 egg

now stir like mad til its all mixed in like a big ball of batter, now heres the fun part
throw in anything you like, walnuts, marshmallows, choc chips, coconut...
approx 3oz of whatever you like, 
in the cookies above I mixed marshmallow, hazelnuts and coconuts 
and some cinnamon ( i heart cinnamon)

Lay them out on trays using a tbsp, put a lump the size of a tbsp of cookie on the tray and leave room to spread around them, like i did in the picture. 

Cook for 15 mins til there slightly brown at the sides, they will still be soft when you take them out but they go hard when they cool..

now mmmmmmmm,mmmmmm,mmmmmm COOKIIES!!!!!!!!

Saturday, 29 September 2012

Coming Soon...


I will soon explain what I'm doing with alcohol, a coffee jar 
and cinnamon but for now you can ponder that one.. 
Any guesses???

Friday, 28 September 2012

Fashion Sin

I have learnt my lesson about teasing other peoples fashion choices and I'm going to share that with you. The above bag was meant to be a joke! My aunt Trisha is crazy and a total magpie for handbags. On a few occasions we have had to pull her screaming from shops or pry the ugliest bags made, out of her hands. So to tease her for what I ignorantly believed to be bad fashion sense I decided to make her a really ugly bag for her birthday. 

I went to Pennys in the omni centre and bought the navy bag, then I went mad in the accessorise dept buying crazy coloured necklaces for the straps. Next on my shopping trail was the Arts and Hobby store where I bought glitter glue, fabric roses and butterflies. I went home and got to work. The idea I had was to make a bag so disgustingly OTT that she would get a giggle from it.

My poor OH Mic was totally confused when I started to stick it together, I hadn't told him it was a joke present so when I started drawing glitter diamonds and shouting "I need ore tacky stickers", He was bit confused. He was trying to be diplomatic and not ask "What the hell are you doing". Anyway i was finally finished and thought it looked tacky enough and sent a photo to my mother for her to giggle. To which she replied "You know she may like it"... oops

The day finally arrived to hand over the gift and My mother was right, My Aunt loved it. Absolutely loved it. As in she wanted to wear it outside... in public. 
I was shocked, did she not realise this was (excuse my french) a piss take????

 But you know what was the best bit, she loved it coz I went to loads of different shops, planned it for ages, spent hours gluing and sticking to make her laugh. Just like you'd love your kids weird drawings she loved it coz I made it for her. So thats the end of my teasing other fashion choices, she looked past me teasing her and saw the good intention behind so I guess i should do the same. 

Entirely unique, extremely colourful, crazy and fabulous, I think that describes the bag and Trisha


Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Baking with Mom

Today I was baking with my ten yr old daughter Ceri. We have some friends coming over so a bit of homemade goodness was in order. So first thing I do is pull out my trusty recipe book. I have a brown leather notebook I bought in Daintree Paper in camden street a few yrs ago. Every time I find a recipe that really works well or one that Ceri and I have made up it goes into the book. In the long term I want it to become our family recipe book so maybe one day ceri can use it with her daughter. 

My mum isn't mad for cooking or baking, her favourite line is "I fed you because it was the law", she doesn't see the point of baking and the idea of it being fun is a concept too far for her. In fact on many occasions she's said "I'd rather boil my own head". The thing she doesn't recall is that the few occasions we baked together were special to me, I can remember vividly the day she gave me and my little brother the day off school so we could make Christmas puddings, pouring in the little bottle of Guinness, getting out the big pot for boiling, It was all so special. A memory of family working together, filled with Delicious smells, dipping your finger in the mix, robbing raisins. It was the greatest fun ever and that's what I want to hand down to my daughter. 

My idea is that baking and cooking is an extension of your love, its a time we can create together and hopefully she'll have memories like that too. I always make cakes for birthdays rather then buying them, corny as it sounds, its baked with love and you know yourself its means so much more that someone took the time to bake a cake for you instead of just putting the candle on top. 
I agree with the American Soul Food philosophy, cook with love and pass it on...

Monday, 24 September 2012

Scribble wibbles

I've started to pick up pencils, paints and pastels after a good few years. Its great to be able to play again, I think it was always the experimenting part of art college I always enjoyed more then the finished product. I think  that feeling never left. I have been playing with quick sketches and having fun doing so, this one below was the view from the 16 bus flying along Dorset street on a drizzly but not too wet evening.
That reminds me of a conversation I had with some Australian friends during the summer, on seeing the drizzle outside the Aussies said "aw its raining" to which all the Irish people in the room said that's not rain. This totally befuddled them all how can rain not be rain! anyway I'm rambling. rambling not sketching, sketching good rambling bad so goodbye.

Sunday, 23 September 2012

Taaa Daaaa


LOL... OK I didn't make the wool monster but my lovely Mic 
agreed to pose with the scarfs I finished tonight... 
I think he rocked the look!!!

Loopy summer winter ramble

Today I'm continuing on with my knitting buzz, this may be a xmas present for someone but for the moment I'm denying that fact because 1. its too early to mention Christmas and 2. there is a chance they may read this.

So... knitting. The wool you might recognise as "loopy" by Rico. its a fun wool, you only use 8 stitches and size 8mm needles and it knits up really y really quickly. I buy mine from a guy called Sean in mother red gaps market in Coolock, He charges the same as Springwools and Stitch.ie but you know what Hes lovely, He recognises my mum whenever she goes and always has the colours we want and (this is a big AND) He takes back our leftover wool from projects. 

There is a whole range of colours but i love the bright mad colours of its summer colours. 
OK I know people don't associate cold winter with summer colours but damn it i think we should. Its cold outside, everything is grey and miserable so isn't it the most suitable time to be wearing brighter colours. reclaim the winter, Viva la Framboise!

Saturday, 22 September 2012

teddy cushion

pomthis little guy is called pompomerian! he started as a cushion for our couch but it just looked to pale when it was done. so i added pom poms to each corner. one for a nose and a New friend for ceri was born. happy days.

i used big softy wool for the body and sewed it onto a cushion base so its hand wash only. but Ceri lots him.


And so it begins

So I make stuff. A lot actually. I bake, I sew, I knit, I read tarot cards. I make cards, not tarot cards but maybe someday. Anyway I get distracted, I have great ideas, make great stuff and give it away or forget about it but no more. Ok really no more. I am going to blog and blog and blog. Not just start and forget I have a blog but post on it regularly. Maybe someone will read it, maybe they won't but the point is its here. This is a public record of what I'm doing, a public diary or journal of my crazy craft exploits or ideas. So here goes...