Clares Place

Feeling Rotten

2012-03-08T18:02:00.002+11:00

Since the beginning of the week I have had a terrible ache at the back of my mouth. After seeing the dentist yesterday turns out I have an infected wisdom tooth :(. Does anyone else get scared about going to the dentist or is it just me?! I have been given two types of antibiotics to get on top of it before I get it (and possibly all of them) out. Yuck!
To top it off the past few nights I have had very, VERY little sleep due to this little princess being unwell too. She has what looks like the start of a sore throat and ear infection so she is also been given antibiotics to stop it progressing further.

(This was taken before she got sick but you have to have a photo in a post right?!)

So my apologies for a quiet blog lately (hopefully I can blog more soon). I have my fingers crossed that no one else gets sick and recovery is fast - for both of us!

Love With All Your Heart

2012-03-03T19:20:00.000+11:00

I am excited to release a new pattern from Clares Place. These cushions made it into the August 2011 Homespun issue and I am excited to now be able to release them to you.

Cushions are a great way to brighten any room and this set of four will do just that!
The unique embroidery and applique designs are easy to sew and would look equally beautiful in fresh and funky fabrics or vintage prints.

Why not make one or more as a gift for a treasured friend or team them with the Jaynes Love quilt.

I really enjoyed making these cushions because making something on a smaller scale (although I will ALWAYS love making quilts) was a quick rewarding project.
These cushions now live with my wonderful sister in law teamed with her Jaynes Love quilt and I am told they look fantastic together.

Our Weekend

2012-02-27T22:10:00.000+11:00

This weekend was our Stake (Church) Conference held in Devonport and to kick it off on friday night we had a swim night at the Devonport olympic pool. As a kid I LOVED swimming and hanging out at the beach but since having Chloe I can count on one hand the amount of times I have been swimming so I really wasn't keen to get cold in the water but because Chloe LOVES 'wimming' she coaxed hubby and I in at different times (we took shifts ;p). Chloe had so much fun and after going on the water slide with daddy for the first time ever she wanted to go again and again. Unfortunatly I forgot to take the camera and capture the 1st waterslide experience :s..

The following morning we headed to Hawley for a swim at the beach with cousins. Chloe's favourite thing to do is be pulled along in the shallow water on her body board - that is until dad goes too fast and she comes off and decides thats enough of being pulled. She and her cousins then decided they were going to 'surf the waves' by standing (or sitting) on their board at the edge of the water waiting for a wave to push them along.

We decided to give Sarah her first taste of the salt water and took her into the water too. She didn't cry but didn't laugh either. She just watched the water and the sand the whole time. (and yes she is wearing a boys rashy - it was super cheap (and cute) at DFO and I got it before we had her - she has yet to grow into Chloes old one)

I can't believe how fast she is growing! Chloes new friend Lil and her family also came to the beach for a play which made the beach all the more exciting for Chloe that "all my friends and everyone came to the beach wif me!"

Saturday afternoon hubby headed off the the priesthood leadership session of conference while the girls and I played and we 'changed shifts' so I could go the the saturday evening session which was fantastic!
Sunday morning session was also good (the bits I heared ;p - It is always so much easier to concentrate on the speakers when you don't have your little ones there to distract you - not that I would have it any other way). We were able to catch up with the family for a play and enjoy some delicious home grown tomatoes - yummo, before we headed back home after a busy but enjoyable weekend.

That was our weekend. What did you get up to? I hope you had fun what ever it was.

Apricot Slice (unbaked)

2012-02-22T21:42:00.002+11:00

This recipe comes from my grandmother (on my fathers side) and is one of the few that I have from her. I loved this slice as a child, it was a regular at family get together. Now as an adult I know why it was a regular - it is so super quick and easy to make. Perfect if you have to put together a plate for an event quickly. As an alternative to the slice this can also be made into truffles which I often do at Christmas.

125g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dried apricots chopped
220g (1/2 tin) condensed milk (more as required)
1 pkt (250g) Milk Coffee or Milk Arrowroot Biscuits, crushed finely

1. Melt butter, sugar and condensed milk over low heat.
2. Add apricots and biscuit crumbs, mix well.
3. Press into greased slice tin and sprinkle top with coconut.

This recipe will continue to be a family favourite and I hope you find it as delicious as I do.

Valentines Day

2012-02-16T21:05:00.000+11:00

I love valentines day! We really don't celebrate valentines day much but who can resist getting chocolate just because it's valentines day. Hubby surprised me with some roses and chocolates - yummo.

This year I decided to get organised and make heart felt pockets to hide treats in. The idea is not my own but I cant remember where I saw it so if you know feel free to let me know. The ones I originally saw had a hand stitching around the outside but as I was short on time I used a silver thread and stitched them on the sewing machine.

They were super simple to make - just cut out two hearts the same size,

fold one in half and cut a slit into it (this will be the back).

Place one on top of the other and stitch around the edge (I used a 1/8" seam)

I had Chloe help write some little notes of things we love about daddy, placed a chocolate inside each and then she hid them all. She choose some pretty tricky places to hide them too like her toy box, behind the curtains and in the fridge!

Best of all we can use the hearts again but I think we will leave treats for the girls next year. :)
Hubby surprised me with some roses and chocolates - yummo. I love valentines day :)!

Saturday = Festivale + Reception Party

2012-02-15T20:21:00.001+11:00

Saturday was a crazy busy day for us, but a very enjoyable family day. In the morning we had Festivale and later in the afternoon a wedding reception to attend (both lots of fun!).
This year at Festivale we chose to go together as a family on the Saturday - we have only been once before on the Friday night when Chloe was a newborn and really didn't enjoy the atmosphere of the night life. This year going during the day with the kids was a BLAST! When we entered there was a monkey performance on the KPMG stage (hubby's work was sponsoring the event) that Chloe loved! It was packed around the stage so she had to sit on dad's shoulders to see it.

Then we wandered around the whole park to get an idea of what was on offer (Chloe was a little reluctant to finish the loop of the park once she saw the kids section!). Our food of choice was from Landfall Meats (I LOVE the meat from these guys - especially the butterfly lamb with spicy BBQ rub!). They didn't disappoint although I can't believe I didn't take a photo of the food!

Then it was back to the kids section for some playing, face painting and a balloon flower. I was trying to get Chloe to have a small butterfly on her cheek but she wouldn't be swayed after deciding she wanted to be a tiger! See here she is telling me that she wants to be a tiger - not a butterfly or heart!

This year I also used the mothers room and I was so impressed! A leather couch for feeding, a play mat for tummy time, microwave if you needed to heat bottles and nappy changing facilities.

We had so much fun that we decided that it would be worth staying the whole day next year.

Then it was home for a SUPER fast change (including face paint removal) and off to the next "party" - Rachael and Dale's wedding reception at the beautiful Clarendon Estate in a beautiful old barn.

The venue was PERFECT. A place I would love to renovate and turn into a home, leaving the beautiful exposed beams and rock walls.

It was such a beautiful relaxed party with wonderful people celebrating the happy union of a gorgeous couple. There was the usual - yummy food, cake and speeches as well as games like totem tennis, cricket and football for the kids. There was also a photo booth with "mousRashes" (according to Chloe).

Photo from my mum - (that's my twin sis in the jeans) - Hubby had to leave early to attend a meeting in Devonport that night.

I can't believe I didn't take photos but there were plenty of cameras there. Maybe if I'm lucky someone will email me the photos that were taken of our family while we were there :)

http://www.festivale.com.au/

Thumb Sucker

2012-02-12T16:08:00.000+11:00

Practically since birth Chloe has been a thumb sucker. We tried to give her a dummy (numerous times) but she kept spitting it out in favour of the thumb. As you can see everything was done with the thumb in mouth.

We have unsuccessfully tried the break the habbit in the past with the terrible tasting nail biting stuff (which she hated) and we were going okay (until Sarah was born).

When she turned 3 and became a 'big girl' we felt we REALLY had to get the thumb sucking sorted before it continued any further so we dedicated a Family Home Evening to helping her break the habit. We needed to set a goal with a reward to work toward and decided that 25 days might be a reasonable time to break the habbit.

With Chloe by my side we made a chart and she chose the counters to mark each successful day and later we all headed off to KMart were she was able to pick ANY toy she wanted (Far cheaper than the cost of braces if we can stop it now ;p ) so after making her go up and down EVERY toy isle (such a difficult task for a toddler - yeah right! ) she decided on a princess bike/trike. Then it was off to coles to buy the treats (Cars eggs) that would help to keep her motivated on her way to getting the bike. I also made her a glove from old fleece (really a sock with ribbon at the top that I could tie at her wrist) that I would put on her to help her remember - she hates it!!!

So far she has done incredibly well the first two days the 'remembering' glove was used if I saw her tumb go inter her mouth with a gentle reminder that "we are trying to help you remember so you can get your special toy". We did also give about three treats in the first five days rather than the one to keep her motivated and feel that the end goal would be achievable. Now we are almost through the chart and she is set to get her bike on Tuesday (all going well). Then we will see if she has broken the habit or will need to continue her chart for another 25 days.

What have you tried to break your childrens bad habits? I would love to know what you have found works because I am pretty sure I will have to do it again when Sarah is older (She has also started to suck her thumb and not the dummy) and if the chart doesn't work for her I will need some back-up ideas!

Santa Beetle

2012-02-07T23:54:00.000+11:00

Today Sarah had her four month injections (I can't believe she is already four months!). The poor little one has been off all day. Her last lot of injections were actually a blessing as they helped her to sleep and actually stoped her constant crying from her reflux but today she has needed lots of cuddles and after a looooong bath to try help her relax she got a bit of sleep.

Chloe on the other hand has had a lovely day outside playing. After hearing her excitedly calling to me I went outside to her her say "look mummy I found Santa's bug!".

She calls Christmas beetles 'Santas beetles/bugs' because after finding her about to stomp on one, as she does just about every bug (don't ask me why she feels the need to squish all the bugs/ ants in sight!) I stoped her telling her they were Santa's special helpers.

She now believes that all Christmas beetles are Santa's helpers and secretly see who are the good girls and boys so Santa knows who to deliver the presents to, which is okay by me because it means these beetles don't suffer the same fate as all other bugs at the moment.

Garage Sales

2012-02-04T19:40:00.000+11:00

I need a new dining room setting. I really want a white or light timber 8 seater table and ideally I would love to have chairs like this:

I found them here but to have eight shipped to Tassie was far more than the budget would allow so instead I have been on the lookout for wooden mismatched chairs with character that I will spray paint the same colour to unify them all.

These are the types of chairs I am looking for:

Picture these chairs all the one colour

The two above images can be found here

I have been on the lookout for quite some time hitting 2nd had stores, tip shops and the like but the last few Saturdays I have decided to get serious and hit the garage sales. Up until today have had no success (I must admit; had I not found any today I was ready to give up and just save for the other more expensive chairs). But today at the last stop I found this:

Yipee!!!!! It just needs a seat :) I want eight mismatched chairs in total and now have 3 (one I payed far too much for at a 2nd hand store and it is not very sturdy).

The 6:30am start this morning proved too much for these two cuties ;p

At the same place I also picked up these two chairs (both in pretty bad condition but hopefully can be fixed by hubby, he tells me they are at the bottom of his job list, but we will see about that). These are destined to go into my sewing room once completed.

So after finally having one successful week I am ready to hit the garage sales again :)

Cupcakes for Kingy

2012-02-01T21:30:00.001+11:00

This recipe is known in our family as the 'Birthday Cake' Recipe because it is our go-to recipe when we have to make a birthday cake. Aaron was good at making and decorating cakes so I thought this was a perfect choice to make for him - in Hawthorn colours of course.

The recipe is usually put into a 20 cm tin and baked for 35- 45 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. I however decided that mini cupcakes were the go and made 1 1/2 batches of the cake mix which gave me about 75 (give or take) mini cupcakes. I hope you enjoy them.

Birthday Cake Recipe:
125g butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup milk
2 cups SR flour

Method
Preheat oven to 180 C. Prepare mini cupcake cases in mini cupcake tins.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy
Add eggs, one at a time, beat well
Add half of the sifted flour, then half of the milk alternately into the mixture.
Repeat with more flour and milk, mixing well.
Using teaspoons, spoon mixture into cupcake cases.
Bake in oven for 7 - 10 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

For the icing I used this American Buttercream Frosting recipe which iced all of my cupcakes so if you are planning on making a smaller batch you may want to reduce the quantity of icing you make too.

I topped my cupcakes with malteaser balls but they are also delicious (and not quite as sweet) with fresh raspberries which I made at Christmas and for Chloe's Birthday.

So Kingy I know you would have outdone me if we had a decorating competition but these are the best I could come up with for a Hawthorn theme.

Also, I had them sitting in containers and on a platter ready to go and Chloe thought she had hit jackpot when she discovered them when she should have been sleeping. There were holes poked through the glad wrap and squished cakes - I didn't know what to say I was frustrated my work was destroyed and had to re-ice the cupcakes that were not squished flat - hubby reckons you would think it was cute and Kobe probably would have done the same. That made it all okay :)

Our Hearts are Breaking

2012-01-29T19:04:00.001+11:00

The other night we received some terrible news that I am still in complete and utter shock about. So please excuse my jumbled words because at this time my thoughts are not clear and words really cannot express how I feel. And truly - what can a person say? No words seem adequate at this time.

You see my lovely friend Lisa lost her husband and best friend Aaron who was a wonderful person and father to their boys. This in and of it's self is devastating to all who knew Aaron but for him to pass less then four months after the loss of her son is incomprehensible! My heart truly aches for Lisa and the boys.

Aaron was such a kind and gentle person always sharing a joke. He was a great leader, teacher and and example. All who knew him are all the better for it. He helped teach me how to teach (I was fortunate enough to be trained by him on my 3rd year teaching prac ). In the classroom there was nothing else like him. He loved each of his students unconditionally and genuinely wanted the very best for them - and expected it. The students all knew of his love and concern for them no matter who they were. As a father he was gentle and kind and you could tell by the way he treated his boys just how much he truly loved them. As a husband he treated Lisa with such love and devotion and was always helping with the difficult jobs (although gardening was not his thing until recently ;p ) and lightening the mood with a joke or ten in the sadder times. As a friend Aaron would do anything for you. He loved his sports and was always up for shooting some hoops or kicking the footy (and if that wasn't possible talking about sport was good too).

I just keep waiting for someone to tell me this was a terrible sick joke. I wish it was. My heart aches for Lisa and the boys at this time. They are all so strong but I am sure at times like these they feel weak. One thing is sure - they need never feel alone there are so many who love and care for them which is evident through comments on facebook and blogs.

I know that Aaron will be hand in hand with Noah watching over them all at this time but that doesn't heal the hurt of knowing that our lives will not be continually enriched by his example and actions while we are left behind. - We hold fast to the memories we have and hope these will strengthen us in the tough times.We love you King family and wish we could take this pain away from you at this time. Know that we like so many others are here for you no matter what!

A New Front Fence

2012-01-22T22:07:00.000+11:00

During the Christmas break Hubby, Chloe and I (mostly hubby) were able to finally get the front fence built. I LOVE it!!!! Hubby did such a fantastic job building it, don't you think?!

'Santa' gave Chloe some tools for Christmas which proved a popular and well used Christmas pressie. Now when daddy works on the house she doesn't 'borrow' his tools as much because she has her own :) .

Checking her 'work'.

When we moved into our place our front yard looked like this (our house was SERIOUS renovators delight - but I fell in love with the location, large windows and well, the potential of the building) - not the garden ;p

After some serious work in the front yard we finally got it to this point - mostly clear but it was left for quite some time as we completed work inside.

The yard still needs landscaping but at least it is cleared and hidden by our wonderful new front fence.

For those that are wondering it is made from rendered pillars painted gun metal grey and merabu decking timber.

The front fence seriously makes a HUGE difference to the way our house looks now. We just need to tackle the other jobs at the front of the house to finish it off such as landscape the yard, add a new front door (can't decide on the colour :s ) and paint the window frames gun metal grey also (just a small list of jobs for the front ;p) - then finish off the other jobs around the place.

But after four years the end is almost in sight!

The wait is over...

2012-01-18T21:22:00.000+11:00

For me anyway :) !

Quite some time ago I made this quilt and showed you a sneak peek back in February of last year. When I was contacted by the lovely Catherine from Homespun (who had come across my blog) to submit a pattern that could potentially be included in the magazine. I showed her a few partly made quilt tops I had on the go at the time and of them she chose this quilt called 'Our Little Bird Family' so after completing the quilt top and sending it off to Homespun, which was back in June last year, it has been quite a wait for me to see my work in the magazine and have the final reveal. And now that it is here I can't believe that I am in the magazine! I mean seriously 'lil ol' me next to some wonderful other designers! I'm so excited to be in such a wonderful magazine and even went to the newsagents every day since the start of the month to see if it was in stock yet so I could check it out (although I was also very nervous about how it would all turn out).

Want to see?! There it is (over the chair) right on the COVER of the magazine giving you another sneak peek! WOW - on the cover!

Originally it was only going to be the quilt and pattern that was to be included in the magazine, but shortly after I had provided them with the quilt and pattern instructions I was asked if they could also do a profile of me. To me this was a harder process than actually designing the quilt and writing the pattern as I was required to provide written answers to a long list of personal questions that would enable them to write up a profile and provide a profile photo (that is me 6 months pregnant - lucky it was a head shot ;p)

And the result = six pages where they profiled me and showcased the quilt!!! Wow, Wow, Wow. It is pretty crazy to me that I have been published in such a great magazine.

The full instructions for the 'Our Little Bird Family' Quilt can be found in the magazine as well as some other great projects - well worth getting your hands on a copy ;p !!!

My Memories winner

2012-01-17T13:19:00.000+11:00

I am sorry I forgot to draw the winner of the My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software the other day!

The Random Number Generator has selected comment number two.

Who said:

"Well Clare this is my first ever giveaway attempt in blog world. I think this software looks great. Mekenzie has a scrapbook for the first 2 years of her life, Lachie about the first 6 months and I didn't even purchase one for Charli!!! This software could solve all my problems and then I could get them printed into books - perfection!! - Kristen"

Congratulations! I will be in contact shortly with all the details.

Sarahs Digital Scrapbook page 2

2012-01-12T19:24:00.000+11:00

I am back to share with you how I made another page for Sarah's scrapbook using the My Memories software.

I first selected the paper type - in this case 'large dots' in 'turquoise'. I use the controls at the right hand side of the page because I find it easiest to navigate.

Next I added a circle by selecting shapes, 'add', changed the colour to white and the opacity to 65, added a white 2 point 'matt' (all controls are at the right hand side of the page) resized it by clicking on the object and moving the corner out to the desired size before moving it to the bottom right hand corner of the page.

I added the dotted circle by selecting 'embellishments', 'add', 'flourishes', dotted circles and selected the 'white XL' again clicking on the corner to resize the object and fraged it to the bottom right of the page.

I added text in a font I had on my computer called 'old typewriter'

Added a 'scolloped frame' changing the paper to a textured burlap in Neutral Ivory.

Added my photo, cropping it to size.

Selected 'add text', changing the font size of times New Roman to 300

To add the staples I selected 'add embellishments', 'Novelty' then 'Staple' and resized them before rotating them and putting them randomly over the 'S'

And here you have it another page for Sarah's Album.

Don't forget if you want to win yourself a sopy of the My Memories Digital Scrapbook software click here to enter.

P.s This will be my last demo unless anyone would really like me to show you more or would you rather me just show you what I make without the step by step instructions??!

My Memories Scrapbooking Software + Giveaway

2012-01-08T22:14:00.000+11:00

A little while ago I was contacted by Liz from My Memories asking if I would be interested in trying out the My Memories Software and hosting a giveaway on my blog. Now I must admit I am quite a fan of scrapbooking - I have quite a collection of papers, have completed a wedding album and bought albums for both of my girls but have found that I never have enought time to scrapbook - my eldest is three and she has a total of ONE page in her 8x8 album (I bought 8x8 thinking that the smaller size would make it easier to complete a page - not so) anyway I digress.
Given my love of scrapbooking can you believe that I have never actually given Digital scrapbooking a try, nope never - mostly because I thought that digital scrapbooking software was super difficult to navigate and learn how to use (I NEED things simple when it comes to anything computers!). So when I first used the My Memories Software I was plesantly surprised to find that it is super easy to use - like I mean SUPER easy. Aside from digital albums the My Memories software can be used to create a range of digitally based projects such as invitations, cards, calenders and banners just to name a few (I made Chloe's Bunting Banner using the program).

Unlike trditional paper based scrapbooking digital scrapbooking is so clean and if you dont like a layout you just delete and start again. If you are anything like me (and don't create layouts you are happy with 100% of the time) this program will save you a fortune on papers, glues and embelishments wasted on pages that you are not happy with. Also when working digitally the amount of space you need to store papers (and work on layouts) is very minimal. In fact all you need is your computer! And if you love a page element you have used months earlier it is always on file so you don't have to worry about not being able to use it again because it has become unavailable like paper based scrapbooking.

Another great thing about the software is that there are a number of ways to preform the same operation so you can use the method you are most used to.

The My Memories software comes loaded with a bunch of papers and embelishments all ready to go and if you are worried about designing your own layout from scratch - it has you covered too with a whole bunch of pre-made layouts so all you have to do is pop your photos in and you are done. But if you would like more fonts, papers and embelishments you can head over to the My Memories store and select from a lager range of papers and embelishments at a low cost or even choose from their free digital kits (that they regularly update). The software allows you to use fonts you already have loaded on your computer as well as digital scrapbooking kits you may already have purchased.

Want to see how I used it to make the first scrapbook page using just the software or free downloads from their site plus fonts I had on my computer?!

After adding a black paper to the page I added my photo, changing it to black and white using the 'Effect' button and adding a white mat.

Select the font size, colour and style here. I used a font called 'Hurricane' for the word Sarah and 'Highland Perk' for the 2nd October. Both fonts were already on my computer.

By selecting 'Add Imprints' I scrolled through the imprints until I found one I was happy with (butterfly) and later changed the colour to white.

Add a flourish by selecting the desired colour from the menu.

See it was that simple!!! After using the My Memories Software I am totally convinced me that digital scrapbooking is the way to go.

So do you want the best news?

My Memories has been kind enough to offer one of my lovely readers this software for FREE, yep I am hosting a My Memories Software Giveaway.

To enter head on over to the My Memories website, come back and leave a comment telling me why you must have this software or your favourite feature of the My Memories software.

If you would like additional entries
Become a fan of the My Memories Facebook Page
Become a follower of the My Memories Blog
Become a fan of Clares Place on Facebook
Follow Clares Place blog

Please, PLEASE remember to leave a seperate comment for each entry to have them counted AND leave your email address so I am able to contact you if you are the lucky winner!
Giveaway is open until the 15th January (AEST) and the winner will be announced and contacted on the 16th (AEST). Through the week I will show you how I made a few other pages using the software.

If you can't wait that long or are unsuccessful in winning the giveaway and want to purchase the My Memories software at a discount use the code: STMMMS9097 at checkout to get $10 off the software (by using the code to purchase the Software you will also get a $10 coupon for downloads - a total value of $20!).

3 years

2012-01-04T20:02:00.000+11:00

My goodness these holidays have been a blast! We have done heaps of fun things as a family which means lots of blogging to come.
Yesterday was our Chloe Girls 3rd birthday - I can't believe she is 3 already!

We had a lovely casual family party with yummy food (chosen by her). We bought pizzas and I made mini cupcakes topped with raspberries, heart shaped rocky road using this recipe, and macarons (my first ever attempt from scratch!!!).

Mum came over to share the food and made some white chocolate crackles too so we had a massive sugar load (not complaining :) ).

Chloe loves her new pressies - a pram for her baby Sarah 'gave' her when Sarah was born from grandma and her favourite from mum and dad was a totem tennis set.

I also made her a bunting using a digital scrapbooking software I will tell you more about later and show you how you can make one too.

Happy birthday princess! You bring so much joy to our little family we love you so very very much.

Christmas Candles

2011-12-30T22:44:00.001+11:00

Well Christmas is now over. We had a fantastic time celebrating the birth of our Saviour eating far too much food (please tell me I wasn't the only one!) and spent time with our wonderful family and friends.

Although it is a little late I thought I would share these beautiful Christmas candles we used to make as kids to give as gifts for teachers and friends. Although the ingredients have changed over the years (as many are no longer available) the concept remains the same.

My sister made a bunch this year and this is how you can make some (I have included the ingredients we used to use for those interested - she did substitute some ingredients that are currently available because the store she visited had sold out)

You will need:
1 share packet of Cadbury twirls (we originally used a pollywaffle bar cut in half)
1 packet of wagon wheel biscuits (we originally used the large wagon wheels)
1 packet of mini m& m's (you will use the red ones - jaffas were our previous choice)
1 packet of m&m's (you will use the green ones - mint leaves)
licorice strap (aniseed rings or jelly rings)
blanched almonds
100g milk cooking chocolate
100g white cooking chocolate

Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl stirring every 10 - 20 seconds being sure not to over cook the chocolate.

Dip one end of the twirl into the chocolate and place in in the centre of the wagon wheel. Allow chocolate to set.

Cut licorice strap to desired length and width to use a a candle holder (a aniseed ring or jelly ring is better to use). use melted chocolate to secure onto the wagon wheel at the base of the twirl.

Place a few dobs of chocolate on the wagon wheel (next the the licorice ring). Place (three) red mini m&m's (or normal m&ms if using mint leaves) on the melted chocolate as holly berries.

Place two green m&ms (or mint leaves) next to the red holly berries.

Melt white chocolate in the microwave on a microwave safe bowl, being sure not to over cook it as white chocolate overcooks quite easily.

Using a teaspoon drizzle white chocolate over the top of the flake, slightly spilling over the sides to mimic melted wax.

Place blanched almond on top of melted white chocolate, point facing upward.

Your Christmas candle is now finished!

Your kids will love to make these for their teachers or friends at Christmas (or any time) and remember half the fun is in the taste testing ;p

Photos with Santa

2011-12-22T22:54:00.000+11:00

Today I had I large list of things to do planned - you know, last minute Christmas presents, Christmas food shopping so I can make some yummy treats (if the ingredients get bought too early they get eaten before they are made into their intended recipes) and photos of the girls taken with Santa (A first for both my girls - slack mum :s ).

Of all the things on my to do list only one got done - photos with Santa because by the time we finally got a photo taken, my girls were well and truly over shopping.

We started out the day at a local shopping centre where we arrived 20 minutes before Santa was due to make his appearance so we went shopping for 10 minutes before heading back to see a line had formed (we were the fifth in line). How long do you think it took us to get to the front of the line? By the time we had our photo taken we had been waiting 50 minutes!!! During our wait Sarah fell asleep and Chloe got upset (literally 5 minutes before her turn) while I was calming her down (promising a kinder egg) mum had Sarah resting on her bag strap and ended up having a red mark right across her forehead that was clearly not going to go in the next few minutes before the photo. So we had our photo taken (the red mark clearly visible on the camera screen) and I left frustrated that we didn't get a usable photo but not before heading to the supermarket for the promised egg.

Next stop was Harvey Norman only to rock up and find Santa had packed up last week! Seriously?! Off to Myer we went - fingers crossed that Santa would still be there. We walked up and ...Yippee Yay, Yippee Yay (as Chloe says) Santa was there and the wait - less than 5 minutes. Stoked!!!

So the final photo:

Do you like how I edited it?! Well I will show you how to make a page just like this a little later using some really fantastic software I have been playing with. Stay tuned as I will be hosting a giveaway for this software next month :)

Christmas Crafts

2011-12-21T17:43:00.000+11:00

The other day I mentioned how slack I had been in crafting this Christmas. So I thought I would see what others have been up to and share some great ideas that you might like to try.

This Christmas Tree Skrit is just georgeous and easy to make too!

How sweet is this decorating idea using doilys?! Found at The Happy Home as well as this cute matchbox advent calender below

Download some neat Christmas/ Holiday Cards for free and customise them with photos of your family!

How about some Christmas Subway Art at The Crafted Sparrow (she has other colours too!)

And my Favourite for the kids - Nativity Blocks from I am Momma - Hear me Roar.

I hope you enjoy these Christmas crafts (and better yet get time to make one or more of them ;p )

Merry Christmas!

Scrappy Christmas Tree

2011-12-19T19:33:00.000+11:00

My mum cleverly made this Christmas tree using some scraps from the Rubies for Grandma quilt.

Want to make one yourself? Easy, you will need:

1 foam cone in desired size (mine is 14" tall)
1 star Christmas tree decoration.
Small metal head pins (so you can remove the fabric later if desired) OR a hot glue gun and glue sticks (for a more permanent ornament)*
Assorted fabric scraps 1/2" wide x 15" long (length will vary according to sized cone used)
Assorted beads (optional)

Starting at the bottom of the cone take one strip and loop it around the cone, trimming the length as required (both ends should overlap slightly).
Secure both ends of fabric with a pin or a small blob of hot glue placed onto fabric * (this will become the back of the tree).
Take another strip and slightly over lap the top of the first strip, trimming as required and securing ends at the back of the cone.
Continue in this fashion until you have completely covered the cone (the top strip may require more pins to secure.
Fix the star at the top of the cone using more pins or the hot glue gun as required.

* Please follow manufacturers instructions when using the hot glue gun and avoid having the glue come into direct contact with the foam as it will melt and distort the foam.

If you want to jazz your tree up why not add Christmas tree decorations by using beads as baubles and pinning or gluing them into position as desired on the fabric strips (not pictured).

There you have it - a simple, cheap (if made from fabric scraps) and easy Christmas decoration.

Its Begining to look like Christmas

2011-12-18T20:36:00.000+11:00

This year I have been quite 'relaxed' in my Christmas decorating. We have a tree, and two nativities displayed (one fisher price one for the kids and a special one) but I haven't put up the wall hangings or other decorations that I normally do.

The Christmas shopping is almost finished (we are always last minute when it comes to buying the pressies - although we have been organised with pressies for the girls this year at least).

Each year I have grand plans to make new Christmas decorations and last year I challenged myself to make a Christmas tree skirt for our tree - but the year has come and gone with no tree skirt made. Instead I placed some spare fabric under the tree, tucking under the selvedge to conceal it. Who knows maybe next year might be the year it gets made ;p

I have 1001 things I want to do this summer and while hubby has some time off work including about 8 sewing projects but I will push them aside because the thing at the top of the list is to relax and enjoy being together as a family.

I hope where ever you are you have a chance to spend time with those you love and enjoy the real reason for Christmas.

Sew Mama Sew Winner

2011-12-17T21:34:00.000+11:00

Thank you to all who entered my Sew Mama Sew giveaway and for your lovely comments. I wish I could award you all prizes!

I did say Chloe would draw the winner but she has had a big day working outside with hubby so she has crashed and gone to bed, so I let Random.org do the work for me. Congratulations to entry number 3

amy said...

Wow!!! What a fantastic, generous prize!!! Thanks so much! My girls just got big girl beds so I'd love to make them some beautiful quilts!

Congratulations Amy. I will be in contact shortly to finalise details.

My Wonderful Quilter.

2011-12-16T10:30:00.001+11:00

Have you been to see my wonderful quilter yet? Not only does she do fantastic quilting but she has a shop that sells a wonderful range of pre-cuts, Theodora Cleave buttons and a large collection of patterns. Right now she is having a sale on Clares Place patterns and with your purchase of any three Clares Place pattern you will get a 4th Clares Place Pattern for FREE by sending Sarah a quick email. Pretty neat hey?! You have until ~~this afternoon~~ Monday morning to finalise purchases so be quick!

And before I go off to do some last minute Christmas shopping here is Rubies for Grandma quilted by Sarah . It is made in the very popular Ruby fabric that she has available in a charm packs and off the bolt (looks like the jellyroll has sold out AGAIN! :s )

Sew Mama Sew giveaway

2011-12-13T21:48:00.001+11:00

Sorry the giveaway is now closed!

Sew Mama Sew is having a giveaway again and given that I have just released quite a number of new patterns I thought that now would be a perfect time to celebrate.
So I am giving away a printed copy of each of my patterns - that's 16 patterns in total plus postage to anywhere in the world.

Photos illustrate only some of the patterns you will win. Please see my website for photo's of the complete Clares Place pattern range.

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Please be sure your email is linked so I can contact you!
If you would like additional entries you can become a follower of my blog or like my facebook page.

Pretty easy hey?!
Winner will be drawn at random by Chloe on December 16th and notified be email no later than December 18th with the prize posted by the 24th December.