Inky catch up!

Thought i would share a couple of projects that ive made over the weekend. I love Home Sweet Home goodies and wanted to make a little something for when my kitchen is properly revamped...I used the Love Bandit line of papers and the Double Dot Cardstock (all from Bo Bunny) It is all mounted onto one of the Ikea 99p mirrors in black to add some depth and give me something to attach it to the wall to - it just makes it a little more than a pic stuck on the wall iykwim :)

I was looking through my older photographs and realised i havent really scrapped any Christmas pics for the last few years!! This one is from 2007, made with Tis The Season Bo Bunny papers and embellishments.

Think i may work on a few more today since im all geared up for the Christmas season now after watching Last Cake Standing on The Food Network last night - omg i have this idea for a topsy turvy fruit cake that is way beyond my capabilities.........i cant wait to give it a try, if nothing else i will have enough fruit cake to eat for the next year or so!! LOL

*if the link isnt working, type Portable North Pole message from Santa into google and it will find it* :)

Oh and if you have little ones check out this video message site from Santa - its well worth the few minutes it takes to set it all out *let me know if you get teary when he opens his naughty or nice book - i did but that might just be hormones!* LOL

Baking Frenzy and Bo Bunny blog hop winner!

I now realise why i was blessed with such a big family - its so that when i bake i dont have to eat everything by myself!! Do you know what size i would be right now if i had to eat all ive made today! First off was a huge batch of Leek and Potato cream soup, Victoria sponge cake, a tray of caramel chocolate shortbread, mint chocolate crisps - im never buying After Dinner Mints again thanks to a lovely lady on MSE for the recipe (so easy....smash up a roll of Extra Strong Mints and add it to a melted 200g bar of dark chocolate, turn out onto a baking sheet, spread thinly and let harden before smashing ...try not to eat all at once! Go on you know you want to at least try it....so easy and so delicious!)
Chocolate and mixed nut cookies...same cookies but rounded, flattened and covered with chocolate and vanilla sugar for the boys :)
If you would like the recipies for anything on my blog just drop me a line :)

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Bo Bunny black Friday blog hop!
It was so much fun and i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did :)

The winner of the goodies has been chosen by Random.org ..................

Here are your random numbers:

60

Timestamp: 2009-11-29 07:45:21 UTC

The winner is Tracey - congratulations and please can you email me your address so i can get your winnings out to you :)

Bo Bunny Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone visiting my blog - i know im not American but i certainly have a lot to be thankful for so im sending out wishes anyway :)
If you have hopped over here on your way around the bloghop you will need to know your next stop is at Ritas fabulous blog! *because of the time difference remember to check the blogs later as they may not be updated yet*
I made this little book with the new Love Bandit range of papers and embellishments. Its a little something to say thank you to our boys for filling my life more than i ever could have imagined, yes im busy, yes im sometimes looking at thinking WHOA how did that pile (papers/ironing!) get so big but i wouldnt have it any other way! Its only going to get better come April so i am thankful for what ive been given and im enjoying the ride!To enter a Bo Bunny giveaway here on my blog (remember to check in with the other blogs too and do the rounds on the blog hop as im sure there are other giveaways today!) please leave a comment below letting me know what youre thankful for :) You could be in with the chance of winning a whole host of goodies including stamp sets, chipboard embellishments, ribbons, rub ons and more!! :)

Oh and another thing - im thankful my oven is finally installed!! Watch out waistline im going to be experimenting with flavoury goodness!! LOL

One extreme to the other!!

Could today finish off better than it started please?

Yesterday i thought the cooker was being installed - wrong.

Today the cooker was being installed - right and wrong!!

It was delivered but the engineers said it couldnt be fitted as it needed a new cooker amp on the wall (im just not technical so excuse me if im saying the wrong thing here - by this point i was a bubbling wreck)!
Apparently they couldnt come out again to fit it until i pay for an electrician to fit the right socket, no electricians available this side of Christmas so they left saying they would be back NEXT THURSDAY so i had until then to sort it out!!Lots of frantic phonecalls and one knight in shining armour later (omg i even called him that to his face and almost kissed him as he walked through the door!) i was informed that they could have fit it this morning if only they had read the manual properly and read that all it really needed was a plug fitting! Grrr!!

Gas man is coming tomorrow to install it and its just focusing on using the end product thats keeping me going right now - well that and a hubby who wouldnt stop at anything today to help his hormonally distraught wife! *huge kisses*

So......here we are.....looking at a spanking brand new cooker......reading Ree Drummonds cookbook (this deserves a post of its own so i will be elaborating on this once ive absorbed it all!).....and eating take away pizza!! Yep...one extreme to the other! lol

Make your 5 a day more interesting!

These would make great presents and obviously the longer they are left to soak the more alcohol they will soak up and in turn the longer they are left before eating the more it will mature! :)
First of all soak your chosen dried or vacuum packed fruit overnight or so in your preferred alcohol....i used Grand Marnier for the prunes, Disaronno for the apricots and Dark rum for the dates.
Once they are soaked to your liking drain and either roll out (or cheat and buy the ready roll) marzipan...
Cut small squares and place one piece of fruit in the centre. Wrap up the sides and make sure there is no fruit showing through the marzipan, this way the chocolate wont actually touch the fruit itself (the alcohol may make the chocolate run before it sets)...
leave them to one side until they are all finished and ready to dip together...
This is the hard bit...let the chocolate set! Dont touch it, dont be tempted to try one (it wont stop at one!) ...
Once set, drizzle with white chocolate by holding a spoon high above the sweets and work backwards and forwards covering all the sweets at once...
Leave to set then remove from the paper and either dish up ready to serve or jar and give as very delicious pressies - you will be asked to make them again i promise!! :)
...erm this was one that i had to try, just so i could show you the insides you understand!! lol ;)
Mmmmmmm!!

Nigella winner and alcoholic fruit!!

The winner of the Nigella Christmas cookbook is .......

FIONA!!

Number 34, picked by my little one as Random.org is down for today! :)

Please email me your address Fiona and i will get the book sent out to you :)

I am so tired this weekend the only baking i have managed so far are soaking some apricots, prunes and dates in alcohol (Disaronno, Grand Marnier and Rum respectively) Tomorrow i will cover them with marzipan and dip in dark chocolate. Let them drip dry and harden ready to go into little boxes as gifts :D

Nigella Christmas Cookbook Giveaway!!

I love this woman! She makes everything seem so easy - ok not necessarily calorie free but heck we deserve treats dont we?!Ive had so many fab comments and requests for the recipies i use that i thought it would be nice to have a little giveaway to give someone their own copy of the Nigella Christmas cookbook - i promise, its like that old saying.......A cookbook is not just for Christmas, its for life!! You will use this more than just during the festive season!! :)

To enter just leave a comment on this post and i will draw a winner on Sunday night!
Im helping my little sis move home this weekend so you can leave one comment today, one tomorrow and one on sunday as i probably wont be updating again until announcing the winner - thats 3 chances of winning!! :) :)

Good Luck :)

Winner and Winter!

The winner of this weeks giveaway was randomly chosen by Random.org....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

43

Timestamp: 2009-11-19 19:16:41 UTC

Congratulations to Rosie (Freycob) - please email me your address and i will get your goodies out to you :)

Thank you so much to everyone who left comments, it is really appreciated and i love giving away goodies - Bo Bunny giveaway coming on the 27th November.....remember to check their blog to start off your bloghop and work your way round all the ladies blogs :)

As its coming quickly up to the 1st of December i needed to make a start on my advent projects. I always wanted an advent candle but have just never gotten round to it so imagine my delight when Dotcomgiftshop sent me one as a pressie for having a blog they recommend!! Seriously,check me out on the list!! Anyways i received this fab HUGE advent candle (seriously its like 18inches high!!) and knew immediately what i wanted to do to decorate it.........Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade!!

I looped lots of 1 inch strips of paper so that they measured different lengths and fastened them with double sided tape to the bottom of a circular tin lid (pack of 2 reduced from £2.99 to 61p at Tesco) I made sure that each layer slightly overlapped so that there was a staggered look to the display and inserted swirls made with tiny strips of the same paper.

I rolled some of the Serentity paper into loops and added snowflakes, buttons and gems, these were then placed around the outside of the tin and the candle placed in the middle.

Using a Stampin up oval punch i created an inner layer to lie around the candle and bring it all together.

I hope you like it and if you make one please remember if you light the candle just watch out for flames and paper together - i would hate to be responsible for someones creations going up in smoke!! EEK!!

One last thing.......ive just finished reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a lovely Christmassy chick-lit ...

Last Christmas by Julia Williams. Loved it, now im on to The Gift by Cecelia Ahern....another Christmassy one, i think im finding a common theme here! lol

Mmmmm mmm!!!

I tell you, its a good job im wearing those stretchy maternity trousers!! ;)

As promised here are the rest of my baking pics from yesterday. First up, mississippi mud pie (eaten last night and not sure i would make again though....was a little too nothingy - is that a word - i mean for the amount of ingredients and time that went into it it just wasnt really anything special)
Now, this is a whole other matter!! I could drool and look at this rocky road all day, its a Nigella recipe and uses Amaretti biscuits, brazil nuts and 70% dark chocolate etc...It is so rich and yummy its a more than special little treat so you only need a small piece!! :) *little reindeers are from Tesco Christmas decoration section*
While i was in Tesco i spotted (get it?! lol) these cake tins, set of 10 tea towels and a fabulous huge red crock pot - its to go in my new oven as i dont have a big enough one for the whole family and usually have to cook in 2 seperate pots - best of all it was half price!!! £6 instead of £12 - bargain!!
I popped into the charity shops on the way home to see if they had any good Christmas books for the boys and look what i found ...one is Ainsley *chipped leaf but turned round its perfect* and one is Coleport - both £2 each!! Today was a good day for bargains!!

Right, now i need to work on some Bo Bunny projects as ive just seen the schedule for December and boy are you all in for a treat!! :) :) Theres also a blog hop coming up at the end of November so stay tuned for another giveaway! :)

First half of my baking session...

...will post more pics tomorrow once everything has cooled down and been decorated etc!

Theres nothing as soothing as spending the day surrounded by gorgeous smells and masses of raw ingredients! I love testing things as i go and although i did have a burnt batch of peanut brittle, the second batch turned out just fine! Heres what was made in the Nicholas kitchen today.

Mississippi mud pie...Cranberry and White Chocolate cookies...Peanut Brittle...Rocky Road...oh and i got pee'd off with my cooker and ordered a new one...
...I cant wait to do some serious cooking!! Its twice the size of my current one! :)

Just a quickie...

We thought we were going for our scan today to see if we are having a boy or girl...nope, after 2 and a half hours we walked out after having

bloods taken...
booking in with consultant...
talk with midwife about amnio etc...
a crying session that i worried would get me sectioned...
we heard the heartbeat...
i cried again...
booked date of the 16th Dec to have the scan.

I came home and cried and slept....today was a very hormonal day...one of the not so good sides of being pregnant! ;)

Tomorrow however i plan on making up for it and cook up a storm - i feel the need to BAKE!! :)

Can anyone help me!!

I am feeling the need for change! I love my blog but want to update it to a cleaner fresher look - as you can see ive been messing with free backgrounds etc but i cant find anything i really LOVE! Ive given up until i can find something thats ME!
What sites or people would you recommend to make me a new blogger page.......it doesnt have to be free, (obv not squillions though!!) :)

I will send a fab package of goodies to the person whos recommendation i use!

EDIT: Ive changed it to a one from Simply Blog It Backgrounds for now and i quite like it - please keep suggestions coming though as i eventually want something custom made :)

He loves me!

I spent last night at my sisters and fell in love with my hubby all over again....

...he picked me up on the dot of 5pm when he said he would,
...he told me he couldnt sleep last night because i wasnt there,
...he had the boys keep their bedrooms tidy so i could come home with nothing to do,
...he just made me a coffee and the boys some tea so i could check out my emails etc,
...he gave me a squeeze and rubbed my tummy! (either he loves me or thinks im a Buddha!)I love you too sweetie xxx (layout is for this weeks Pencil Lines sketch 160)

Friday 13th....

Last night i sat and wrapped up all the Christmas presents we have here..........im sorry, i didnt want to but the boys made me!! They keep finding my hiding places and im running out of cupboards i can reach! LOL
It did make me realise though there are only a few more bits i need, so today im off to get the last few bits. I will add some stocking fillers and then theres just the sweets to get and the hampers to make up and wrap......Can i really be finished Christmas shopping mid November!! EEK!!
Oh and before i go, does anyone else have to have these at Christmas time........ They are gorgeous soft gingerbread hearts filled with apricot and smothered in dark chocolate - best thing is they are from Lidl and only 99p for a big bag! What more could a girl ask for! :)

Which reminds me its time to make my absolute family favourite...Nigellas Rocky Road - (my pic from last year...) must add Amaretti biscuits, brazil nuts and marshmallows to my shopping list!

Have a lovely weekend, im heading off now to Starbucks for my second Gingerbread Latte of 2009 (and probably third, fourth and maybe fifth over the weekend!) ......is it ok to be as excited as i was with the first...... ;)

THANK YOU and GIVEAWAY!!

I want to say a huge huge thank you to everyone for all the encouragement, comments, sweet emails and messages!!
My blog hit 200 followers......how the heck did that happen??!
I dont even know 200 people, ok so im getting there on the kid front, only 195 to go after this one but that doesnt count does it??
These are real grown up people, damn talented ones too, thanking me for making things and giving inspiration - sheesh that just blows my mind - i just play with paper n stuff!

Anyways, as a thank you to you all im offering a giveaway containing a little selection of something from each of my favourite pleasures in life - we have Crafty things, Christmas goodies, Chocolates, A Bath Bomb, Mini Heart Silicone cases, a Yankee Candle Cinammon Stick melt ....even a cuddly toy!!I will leave this open until next Thursday so you have a week to get your comments in below......refer a friend and have them say your name as well as theirs and you get an extra entry :) Entirely up to you what to write........tell me what you love about the upcoming holiday season, do you prefer baking over crafting, do you want me to get to 300 followers quickly so we can have another giveaway or do you just want to shout 'LET ME WIN'.......choice is yours :)

Can i just give a little shout to a lovely lady called Jayne (not sure if shes got a blog but if she has i will link back when i find it!) who i bought this darling Elf from!! Dont tell my boys though as ive already planned his arrival on the 1st of December to help us with the Christmas season........you know the kind of thing......making cookies for Santa, decorating a stocking, hanging the boys underpants on the Christmas tree while theyre all asleep.......even elves need some mischief ;) Its going to be so much fun!! :)