Daily Bread

If I had more time in the day or/and was better organised, one thing I truely wish I could achieve would be to bake a nice fresh crusty loaf of bread everyday, but for now I have to settle with it being either a weekend treat or a packed lunch emergency at 8pm the night before.

The loaves above were made using 2 part strong white to 1 part wholegrain with the added loveliness of date syrup and pumpkin seeds - they didn't last long, but long enough to give me that smug glow of feeling like a domestic goddess, for half an hour at least...

Lisa Hannigan

Colour, music, craft........... If someone adds cake this website will become my personal web heaven.

Packing Heat

I wonder if I can claim my recent little creations are part of our Renewal theme? A pair of husband's old jeans, some remnants from curtains and the legs from daughter's old bootcut trousers have been most helpful in offering themselves to be reborn as heat packs filled with grains of cheapo rice doused in Lavender oil. The packs are now ready to begin their new lives; they'll be gifted away - according to my diary it's officially birthday season now - and then occasionally stuck in the microwave for 2 minutes before lying on an aching muscle or warming chilly sheets. Perfect on the lower back after a bit of springtime weed pulling?

Paper Weaving

Click here for the link to the paper weaving we tried at today's session.

Shortbread Biscuit Recipe

Makes approx. 12 biscuits

• 115g butter
• 175g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 55g caster sugar
  

This recipe isn't a do or die - I use Lurpak spreadable instead of butter and quite often use golden granulated sugar instead of caster sugar, just depends what's in the cupboard. Whatever variation, these little biscuits always seem to work out beautifully.

Oven to 180

Mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue to work until a soft dough is formed.

Roll the dough into a sausage with a diameter of about 5cm. Cut discs of just less than 1cm thick from the dough and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Dip in melted chocolate, sprinkle with sugar or drizzle with lemon icing when cooled.

Eat. Yum.

Inspiration Point - Renewal

(noun)

1.	the act of renewing.

2.	the state of being renewed.

3.	an instance of this.

Origin:

1675–85; renew + -al

Photo Journal Tutorial

I am a total sucker for lovely stationary, but am often put off by the price of blank journals - so why not make your own! This tutorial is amazing http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/354
I can feel some stationary presents coming on....

Retail Therapy

Am I the last to know about this shop?




Stumbled across it tonight while on-line shopping for birthday gifts (for a certain soon to be forty and fabulous man). Anyway, loving their stuff very much.

Paper Potter...

With snow on the ground, and sub zero temperatures, I'm still feeling optimistic about Spring being just round the corner and my mind is turning to ordering seeds and getting some seedlings underway, and excellent reason to put a Christmas present to use...

The Paper Potter, a lovely tactile wooden stamp which makes bio-degradable paper pots from old newspaper strips, very satisfying..

Cosy Crocheted Neck Warmer

I have admittedly been feeling the cold with all this snowy weather around at the moment, and wanted to make something cosy for myself. This neck warmer is just the ticket, knocked up in less than an hour using double strand wool to give it a chunky feel, I learnt a simple new crochet stitch too, a simple weave effect using chain and single crochet. I have been wearing it ever since. Found this particular pattern at Mingling Yarn, so easy...