Mammy Made

Mediterranean Quiche

2014-01-14T10:36:00.000+00:00

Morning everyone! I made this delicious mediterranean quiche for my two girls yesterday and they loved it. It is yummy, packed full of vegetables and easy to make. It is also very tasty cold so is good for leftovers. Sounds good to me!

Mediterranean Quiche (serves 4)

320g packet shortcrust pastry
180g baby spinach
small red bell pepper
50g feta, cubed
1/2 - 1 tbsp oats
4 x large eggs
splash of milk
seasoning (I used black pepper, dried mixed herbs, a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of chilli powder)

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / GM6. Use the pastry to line a quiche dish. I used a large 10" pyrex quiche dish so I had to piece the pastry together a bit to get it to fit. I covered the bottom then used the extra to add a bit more crust to the side. I like it better this way, it has more of a crunch and I think just tastes nicer. Prick the pastry with a fork then bake blind for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the red pepper in a little olive oil until soft. Add the spinach along with 2tbsps water. Cover and leave to steam cook until wilted.

Use the oats to lightly cover the bottom of the quiche. This helps a lot when using wet ingredients. You don't want to end up with a soggy base. Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the spinach and peppers and add to the quiche. Scatter the feta cubes on top. Mix the eggs, milk and seasoning together in a jug then pour on top of the vegetables. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the eggs have set.

I personally think that the only way to eat quiche is with Heinz baked beans and salad cream. Tasty!

I'm linking here:

Sew Much Ado
The NY Melrose Family
We Like To Learn As We Go
Ginger Snap Crafts

Little Girl Tutu - Tutorial

2014-01-06T13:03:00.003+00:00

Hi everyone! I am back after my christmas and new year break. I hope everyone had an amazing time. Me and my girls spent them both with family and had lots of fun and laughs.

I made this beautiful little girl tutu for Leyla to wear on new year's eve and she looked the belle of the ball! I love the ribbon on the front, it doubles the cute factor. Not that she needs much help to be cute, of course.

This tutu is for approx age 4-5 years and fits to just under knee length on my little girl, who is approx 42" tall.

To make this tutu you will need a piece of elastic long enough to fit around your child's waist, some rolls of tulle (or a piece of tulle cut into long 6" strips) and a piece of ribbon. I cut my strips of tulle to be 31" long. To do this easily, I made a piece of cardboard that measured 15.5" long, wrapped the tulle around until I ran out then cut one side. I ended up with a lot of 31" strips of tulle.

I cut my elastic to be 21.5", which was my little girl's waist measurement. 0.5" was lost when stitching the elastic together which resulted in a nice fitting waistband. I stitched it together with a zigzag stitch and ended up with a 21" joined piece. I stretched my elastic around my dining chair to make it easier for me to attach the pieces of tulle.

To attach the tulle on to my elastic, I folded a piece in half, with the fold pointing down. I passed the folded tulle under the elastic then pulled the two tails over the elastic and through the loop created at the fold end. I then pulled it tight to secure. Make sure your knot is not too tight though or your elastic will end up all twisted and will be uncomfortable.

When the elastic is all covered you need to add your ribbon. I did not loop it all the way around, I just looped it through the front piece of tulle, tied it off in a double knot then tied my bow. I left the ends long because I think they look much nicer that way. You can either trim the ends of the tulle or leave them slightly uneven and raggedy if you like. I left mine because again, I think they add to the cute factor.

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. I had fun making it and am planning to make lots more! They are quick and easy and turn out very adorable.

Come and visit me on my Facebook page to make sure you do not miss any of my posts. See you there! :D

I'm linking here:

Sew Much Ado
The NY Melrose Family
We Like To Learn As We Go
Ginger Snap Crafts

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Decorated Heart Wall Hanging

2013-12-24T12:00:00.000+00:00

Today I would like to share a gift I made for the girls for christmas. I made these cute signs to hang in their bedroom. One for each of them, L and N. I don't have a picture of the before, but they were just unpainted wooden hearts that I picked up in my craft shop. I used metallic acrylic paint on them, amethyst and rose, and a thin black sharpie to write the initial on.

I gave the hearts one coat of the paint, pink on the inside heart, purple on the outside heart, then left them overnight to dry. The instructions said the paint would be dry within a hour but I wanted to be sure. I then just wrote the initial on in a fancy font using the sharpie, drew a little heart in the corner and called it done. These cute hearts will hang in pride of place over their beds.

Love them!

I hope you all enjoyed this idea. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Mini Christmas Wreath Tree Decoration

2013-12-20T12:00:00.000+00:00

Today I would like to share some super fast christmas tree decorations I made this year. They are absolutely adorable and take less than 10 minutes each to make.

It's not too late to whip some up for your tree so let's make some!

To make your wreath you will need a 5mm crochet hook and double knit yarn.

Christmas Wreath

1. using green yarn, ch10, join with sl st in 1st ch
2. ch3, turn, work 19dcs into the loop, join with sl st in top of ch3 (20)
3. ch10, sl st in st at base of ch, bind off and weave ends in well
4. weave some red or white thread through the wreath and tie off in a double knot and then a bow at the very top, trim the ends

I hope you all enjoyed this pattern. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Father Christmas Reply Letter

2013-12-19T12:00:00.000+00:00

My kids wrote their letter to Father Christmas the other day. They were so excited to write it and tell him what they wanted, and Leyla actually did it herself. I wrote it for her on a different piece of paper and then she copied it onto her paper. Naomie can't write yet so Leyla added Naomie's wish list onto the bottom of her letter and Naomie drew a picture to add to the envelope. I was going to send it off to some random North Pole address but I decided I wanted to keep it. It is now hidden out of sight of the kids and I told them I posted it for them.

I decided to write a letter back to each of them from Father Christmas, telling them that they have been very good and that he is looking forward to delivering their presents. I can't wait to see their faces when they get them!!

If I had thought ahead, I would've sent it in the actual post, but I left it too late so now it will need to be 'hand-delivered by one of the elves'.

Such a cute idea that will make my children very happy.

I have made a printable for you to use if you would like to. Just open it in your photo editing software and add whatever text you would like!

I hope you all enjoyed this idea. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Crochet Bath Puff

2013-12-17T12:00:00.000+00:00

Today I would like to share a cute bath puff I made to go with some nice shower gel to make a gift for someone.

To make one yourself, you will need a 7mm crochet hook and double knit yarn.

Bath Puff

Main:

1. make a magic ring, ch3 and work 9dcs in ring, join with sl st in top of ch3 (10)

2. ch3, turn, dc in st at base of ch3, 2dcs in each st around, join with sl st in top of ch3 (20)

3. ch3, turn, 2dcs in st at base of ch3, 3dcs in each st around, join with sl st in top of ch3, bind off (60)

Repeat rounds 1-3 five more times. Weave in outside ends but not magic ring ends.

Tie:

1. ch80, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and across, bind off, weave in ends.

To make up:

Fold the tie in half and tie a knot to form a loop. I double knotted mine to make sure it was big enough to not fall through my magic rings. Loosen the magic rings on each piece of bath puff and push the knot through. Repeat until all six pieces are on the tie. Weave in the magic ring ends, pulling tightly closed around the tie. Push the bath puff pieces down firmly and tie a knot at the top, making sure bath puff pieces are still tightly squashed together. Fluff the bath puff. Done :)

I hope you all enjoyed this pattern. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Smartie Teacher Appreciation Christmas Gift

2013-12-16T12:00:00.000+00:00

Today I would like to share a lovely little gift I made for my daughter's teacher. It took me no time at all and cost me £2 to make. Not bad for a teacher gift as cute as this one.

First things first, I made this printable. "I'm sure to be a smartie with you as my teacher!" Sweet. I didn't write the quote by the way, I found it online but couldn't find a printable for it so just made my own. I printed it out on printer paper then glue sticked it onto card. I cut around the edges to make a nice square label then hole punched the top corner. Label done.

Next, I found myself a jar and gathered the rest of my supplies. I picked my jar because it had a plain black lid and I wouldn't have had to cover it. A mason jar would work perfectly aswell. If you can only find a jar with writing on the lid you will need to cover it with scrapbooking paper or fabric. I also used some ribbon tape, which I found for £1 in my local card shop.

I emptied out a tube and a half of smarties into the clean, dry jar and fastened the lid. I took my ribbon tape and attached the label with it, using a double knot. I then curled the ends and added a few more pieces of tape, again curling the ends to give a nice finish.

Teacher appreciation christmas gift done! So easy and simple. This gift took me all of 5 minutes and cost me £2. I just hope she likes smarties ;)

I hope you all enjoyed this idea. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Popsicle Stick Snowman

2013-12-13T12:00:00.000+00:00

This year I thought it would be nice to do a Christmas countdown, showing off things I have made as gifts and ornaments either this year or in previous years. If you are wanting to make handmade gifts for your loved ones this year, then keep watching because I hope to put an awesome Christmas related tutorial or recipe up every day until Christmas Eve. Today is day 13!

Today we are joined by Natalie from North Shore Days. I have adored Natalie's blog for a long time now, go and check her out. You won't regret it!

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Hey Everyone,

I'm so excited to be here at Mammy Made sharing a super easy, super cute crafty popsicle stick craft.

I totally copied this pin on pinterest - it's so so easy and I literally winged my way through it. So yes there are missing photos in my excitement to quickly complete this adorable snowman!

What you will need:

Popsicle / craft sticks , white and black craft paint , googly eyes , ribbon, craft paper and a black sharpie.

Line up 8 or 9 sticks and paint them white (I glued another stick diagonally at the back to hold them all together).

Glue another stick across the front at an angle - this will be the rim of the hat. Paint the hat black.

Once the paint is all dry, glue on the eyes, cut out a triangle for the nose and glue it on (I used corregated craft paper). Draw the mouth on, glue a strip of ribbon along the hat.

To hang my snowman, I used black string tied to the hat ends.

Payton has claimed him as her personal snowman ornament! Perhaps next year the kids can make more of them for the tree...

I'm all about snowmen this year for some reason.... The kids think its so funny to have snowmen decorations during Summer. I guess it is...

Is Frosty not the cutest popsicle stick snowman ever?

He has pride of place on our tree this year, and I have to admit I love how easy he was to make and how well he turned out.

Thanks for joining me today, please stop by and visit me at NorthShore Days or my Facebook page and say hi.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas.

Take care.

xxx

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Thank you so much for joining us today, Natalie. It's been lovely having you!

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Christmas Headband Earwarmer

2013-12-11T12:00:00.000+00:00

Today I would like to share a Christmas Headband Earwarmer that I made for my first craft fair last month. This earwarmer is very easy to make and it takes less than an hour. I love earwarmers for my girls as they can wear them to school when they have their hair tied up and can't get their hats on.

This pattern should fit an age 2-5 years or up to about a 20" head.

I used 2 strands of DK yarn, held together, along with a 7mm crochet hook.

Gauge: The finished earwarmer should measure approx 18" around and 3" across. Make the pom poms as big or as small as you like.

Christmas Headband Earwarmer

1. ch11, hdc in 3rd ch from hook and across (10)
2-33. **work in back loops only** ch2 (counts as 1st hdc), skip st at base of ch, hdc in each st across, end with hdc in both loops of top of previous row's ch2 (10)
34. join the two short sides together to form a tube, bind off and weave in ends

Make two pom poms and attach them to the sides of the earwarmer.

I hope you all enjoyed this pattern. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Refashioned Tshirt Bracelet

2013-12-10T12:00:00.000+00:00

Today I wanted to share a bracelet I made a while back.

This little bracelet is a perfect gift for your children to make for their friends. They can be made as plain or as colourful as you like and are quick and easy to make. All you need is an old tshirt and some piping cord in the colour of your choice. For this tutorial I used a white tshirt and red piping cord to make a cute festive bracelet.

To make your bracelet you will need to cut two strips of your tshirt material, measuring ½" x 16" (making sure that the stretch goes along the 16" side). You will also need one piece of the piping cord, measuring 19" each.

After cutting the tshirt material, pull each strip well to lengthen them and make the cut ends look neater. The material will roll in on itself, giving you a better piece to use to make your bracelet with. Lay the tshirt strips with the piping cord in the middle and secure with an overhand knot about 4" down. Plait the three sections tightly, stretching the tshirt material as you go. When you get to 4" from the end of the material, secure with another knot. Cut off the piping cord at both ends, leaving the tshirt material to use to tie the bracelet on.

Done :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Spicy Turkey Pasta

2013-12-06T22:00:00.000+00:00

Today I want to share a yummy pasta recipe. This is a great meal to make after Christmas to use up leftover turkey. It is quick, easy and delicious.

Spicy Turkey Pasta (serves 2)

olive oil, for frying
1 x small red onion, peeled and diced
1tbsp tomato puree
125g shredded leftover turkey
400g chopped tomatoes
1/2 tbsp paprika
big pinch of mixed herbs
salt and black pepper
150g dry pasta

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan then add the onion. Cook for 5 mins until starting to soften. Add the tomato puree and leave to cook for 30 seconds. Add the leftover turkey, the chopped tomatoes and the seasonings. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 mins. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the pack instructions. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the turkey. Cook over a low heat for a few minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the juice.

Delicious!

I hope you all enjoyed this recipe. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Glitter Name Gift Boxes

2013-12-05T12:00:00.000+00:00

This year I thought it would be nice to do a Christmas countdown, showing off things I have made as gifts and ornaments either this year or in previous years. If you are wanting to make handmade gifts for your loved ones this year, then keep watching because I hope to put an awesome Christmas related tutorial or recipe up every day until Christmas Eve. Today is day 5!

Today I have a lovely guest poster dropping in to share a tutorial with you all, Heather from the Beating Hearth. I am pretty sure you are going to love her glitter name gift boxes as much as I do.

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Merry Christmas everyone! It's Heather from The Beating Hearth and I am so excited to be a part of Adele's 24 Days to Christmas. Like her, I have my own Christmas series going on, Holiday Cookie Extravaganza! Every Monday and Wednesday until Christmas I will have a tasty treat for you, so please stop by.

Today I'm going to show you one of my favorite Christmas traditions. My beloved Grandma Evelyn is the originator of this project. If the internet had been around fifty years ago, she would have been in heaven. Not much of a sewist, she loves a classy yet simple way to add a little glamor to the every day.

Christmas day she gave us several gifts, but for each of her grandchildren, one present was different. It wasn't wrapped, and yet we knew it was the best of the bunch. It was simple, a white box, with a bow, and our name written in her beautiful hand, coated in glitter. I always opened that one last. So, start this tradition at your house, anyone who gets this present will feel special, indeed.

I love a project that has minimal supplies. You need a white box, glitter, good old Elmer's Glue and a pencil. And, the pencil is optional.

Write the name of the recipient on the box. If you're bad enough, you can just free-hand it with the glue. I am clearly not as bad ass as my image may portray, as I used a pencil...and a ruler so the name would be straight.

Using a heavy hand, trace the name with glue. Go slowly, with a thick and steady stream of glue. If you have any gaps, just carefully fill them in. You don't want the glue to be too thin, you really want the name to stand out.

While the glue is still wet. Coat with glitter. I have girls. They only like pink. Let settle for a few minutes and then gently shake the glitter off into a bowl so that you can reuse the excess for another project.

Set aside and let dry completely. Then shake off the extra glitter again.

And be prepared for glitter to do what glitter does best...get everywhere!!!

You could also get flashy and do a design. Grandma Evelyn knew though, that less is more. We just had our name...and the occasional glue dollop....glitter coated, of course.

Throw on a festive bow, and place under your tree. An easy craft, but one that's sure to make an impression. Who doesn't like to see their name in glitter?

Thanks again Adele for letting me hang out here today! And remember, check out the Beating Hearth all month for the tastiest treats!!

Heather

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Thank you so much for joining us today Heather, I absolutely love your idea. Good job, Grandma Evelyn!

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Crochet Little Donkey Hat

2013-12-04T22:00:00.000+00:00

My little girl is doing a nativity at her nursery in a few weeks and she has been cast as a donkey. I was asked a few weeks ago to sort her costume and if I'm honest, I was planning on just buying her one. Then I actually looked some costumes up and realised how expensive they are! Ouch!

I decided that a simple grey tshirt and leggings and a grey donkey hat would be perfect and a fraction of the cost. Today I am going to share the pattern for the donkey hat.

This pattern is for age approx 2-5 years or a 19-20" head.

Work the hat holding 2 strands of double knit yarn together. I used a 6.5mm crochet hook but use any size hook you need to get the gauge.

Gauge: At the end of round 5, your hat should measure 6" in diameter. At the end of round 13, the hat should measure 7" in length.

Little Donkey Hat

1. using grey yarn, make a magic loop, ch3, work 9 dcs into loop, join with a sl st in top of ch3 (10)
2. ch3, turn, dc in same st, work 2dcs in each st around, join with sl st in top of ch3 (20)
3. ch3, turn, dc in same st, *dc in next st, 2dcs in next st*, rep around, dc in last st, join with sl st in top of ch3 (30)
4. ch3, turn, dc in same st, *dc in next 2sts, 2dcs in next st*, rep around, dc in last 2sts, join with sl st in top of ch3 (40)
5. ch3, turn, dc in same st, *dc in next 3sts, 2dcs in next st*, rep around, dc in last 3sts, join with sl st in top of ch3 (50)
6-11. ch1, turn, sc in st at base of ch, ch1 (counts as 1st dc), dc in 49sts, join with sl st in ch1 (50)
12-13. ch1, turn, sc around, join with sl st in 1st sc (50)
14. bind off and weave in ends

Earflap 1:
1. with wrong side of stitch facing, count 18sts to the right from the bind off stitch, ignoring the stitch at the base of the bind off, join yarn, ch1, sc in same st and in next 11sts (12)
2. ch1, turn, sc2tog, sc across to last 2sts, sc2tog (10)
3. ch1, turn, sc across (10)
4-5. rep rows 2-3 (8)
6-7. rep rows 2-3 (6)
8-9. rep rows 2-3 (4)
10. ch1, turn, sc2tog twice (2)
11. ch1, turn, sc across, bind off

Earflap 2:
1. with wrong side of stitch facing, count 7sts to the left from the bind off stitch, including the stitch at the base of the bind off, join yarn, ch1, sc in same st and in next 11sts (12)
2. ch1, turn, sc2tog, sc across to last 2sts, sc2tog (10)
3. ch1, turn, sc across (10)
4-5. rep rows 2-3 (8)
6-7. rep rows 2-3 (6)
8-9. rep rows 2-3 (4)
10. ch1, turn, sc2tog twice (2)
11. ch1, turn, sc across, bind off

Finishing:
1. with wrong side of stitch facing, join yarn at the back of the hat, ch1, sc in same st and around, working 2scs in each of the 2 stitches at the end of the earflaps, join with sl st in 1st sc (74)
2. bind off and weave in all ends

Now to turn it into a donkey hat!

Mouth:
1. using one strand of cream or white yarn and a 5mm crochet hook, ch20, dc in 4th ch from hook and in each st across (18)
2. ch3, turn, sk st at base of ch3, dc in each st across, end with dc in top of previous row's ch3 (18)
3-4. ch1, turn, dc2tog, dc across to last 2sts, dc2tog (16/14)
5. ch1, turn, sc in 14sts, sc in 6sts evenly down the short side (not including the corner st), work 3scs in corner st, sc in 16sts, work 3scs in corner st, sc in 6sts evenly up the short side, join with sl st in 1st sc
6. bind off, leaving a long tail to attach the mouth to the hat

Nostrils (make 2):
1. using one strand of grey yarn and a 5mm crochet hook, make a magic loop, ch1, work 8scs in loop, join with sl st in 1st sc (8)
2. bind off, leaving a long tail to attach the nostril to the hat

Ears (make 2 white/cream and 2 grey):
1. using one strand of white, cream or grey yarn and a 5mm crochet hook, ch2, sc in 2nd ch from hook (1)
2. ch1, turn, 2scs in st (2)
3. ch1, turn, 2scs in each st (4)
4. ch1, turn, 2scs in first st, sc across to last st, 2scs in last st (6)
5-15. ch1, turn, sc across (6)
16. work an extra 2scs in corner stitch, do not turn, sc evenly around the ear, working 3scs in the very tip of the ear to create a sharp point, work 2scs in the same place as the first sc, join with sl st in first sc
17. bind off and weave in ends
18. hold a white ear on top of a grey ear, with wrong sides facing down on both ears, join grey yarn in one of the corners, sc around, working through both ears to join, work 3scs in each corner, join with a sl st in first sc
19. bind off, leaving a long tail to attach the ear to the hat
20. repeat for the other ear

Sew everything onto the hat. Attach some black buttons for eyes and black yarn onto the top of the hat for hair. There you have your very own little donkey :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Sandpaper Numbers

2013-12-03T20:39:00.003+00:00

These Montessori inspired sandpaper numbers would make an awesome gift for a toddler who is starting to learn their numbers. They help to reinforce the shape of the number in the child's head and help them to remember how the numbers are formed.

To make your own Sandpaper Numbers you will need:

piece of paper
few sheets of sandpaper
pencil
scissors
sheet of card
hole punch
pva glue and brush
sticker reinforcements for holes
keyring

Draw out the numbers 0-9 on a piece of paper. You don't want them to be too small. Mine ended up being just over 2" tall. Cut them out using the scissors then draw around them onto the sandpaper. Cut out squares of card big enough to fit your numbers on. I cut mine to be 3" squares.

Hole punch a hole in the top left corner of each square then glue the sandpaper numbers on in the middle of the card. Make sure to get the glue right to the ends of each number to make sure the edges are glued down properly and don't lift. I drew a black dot indicating where to start forming each number, just to help my little girl out a little.

I stuck the reinforcement hole stickers on each card, one on each side, then left the glue to dry for a few hours. I took the metal ring from a keyring I had and threaded the cards on.

To use the cards, first show your child each number and, using your first two fingers, draw on top of each of them to show how they are written. Help your child to do the same. The feel of the sandpaper will help them to understand how to make each number. Practice each number a few times before moving on to the next one.

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Felt Christmas Tree Ornament

2013-12-02T21:42:00.001+00:00

Today I want to share a felt christmas tree I made as a decoration for this year. I think it turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. It has pride of place in the middle of my front room fireplace, between the kids' stockings.

To make one you will need one sheet of green felt, a star button, some ric rac in your choice of 'tinsel' colour, a small length of brown ribbon for the tree trunk, toy stuffing and matching threads. I made mine on my sewing machine but it can be hand sewn aswell, if you would rather.

First thing you need to do is make a pattern. I just cut a triangle out of some card, measuring approx 4" along the bottom and approx 4" high. Use this pattern to cut out two pieces from the green felt. Lay the ric rac out as you would like it on your tree then stitch it down. I only decorated the front. When your ric rac is sewn down, pin the felt pieces right sides together. Pin your folded brown ribbon into the bottom seam, with the raw edges together. Leaving a hole at the top of the tree for turning and stuffing, stitch down one side, along the bottom and up the other side of the tree. Make sure the hole you leave is big enough to turn. Also, make sure you backstitch a little at the beginning and end of your line of stitching, just to make sure your stitches don't fall out when you turn your tree.

Trim the bottom corners, turn your tree the right way round and stuff lightly with toy stuffing. You don't need to add too much, just enough so it is no longer flat. Using green thread, stitch closed the opening at the top. I'm sure you can all do a better job than me at stitching your tree closed. Hand stitching has never been my strong point. Attach some ric rac or ribbon to the back to hang it up with then hot glue the button on to the front.

I hope you all enjoyed this pattern. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

I'm linking here:

**Sumo's Sweet Stuff - http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/2013/12/block-party.html

**Craft-O-Maniac - http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2013/12/craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party.html

**Create With Joy - http://www.create-with-joy.com/2013/12/inspire-me-monday-celebrating-100-weeks.html

**Mad in Crafts - http://www.madincrafts.com/2013/12/mad-skills-party-184.html

**Alderberry Hill - http://www.alderberryhill.com/make-the-scene-monday-101/

**Skip to my Lou - http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/12/02/made-by-you-monday-180/

**Claire Justine - http://www.clairejustineoxox.com/2013/12/212-creative-mondays-blog-hop-and-this.html

"24 Days to Christmas" Countdown - Christmas Tree Ring Ornaments

2013-12-01T19:59:00.000+00:00

For the first day of the countdown, I wanted to share a little set of christmas tree ring ornaments I made a few weeks ago. They literally took me 10 minutes each to make and they are very cute. So simple to make, they only use basic crochet stitches so whip some up today :D

I made these ones using a sparkly white yarn and a red yarn held together, which I think gives a really nice effect in the finished ring. They can be made all in one colour if you would rather, just hold two strands of the same yarn together.

To make your own set of christmas tree ring ornaments, you will need: yarn in one or two colours, a 5mm crochet hook and four curtain rings (with the hook removed).

Christmas Tree Ring Ornaments

1. make a slipknot using two strands of yarn held together, pass the slipknot through the centre of the curtain ring, then join the slipknot to your hook, join the yarn to the curtain ring with a slip stitch then ch1
2. work 25 hdcs around the ring, join with a sl st in 1st hdc
3. ch10, join back to the st at base of ch with a sl st
4. bind off and weave in ends

I hope you all enjoyed this pattern. You can find more Christmas Countdown posts here.

I'm linking here:

**Sumo's Sweet Stuff - http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/2013/12/block-party.html

**Craft-O-Maniac - http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2013/12/craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party.html

**Create With Joy - http://www.create-with-joy.com/2013/12/inspire-me-monday-celebrating-100-weeks.html

**Mad in Crafts - http://www.madincrafts.com/2013/12/mad-skills-party-184.html

**Alderberry Hill - http://www.alderberryhill.com/make-the-scene-monday-101/

**Skip to my Lou - http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/12/02/made-by-you-monday-180/

**Claire Justine - http://www.clairejustineoxox.com/2013/12/212-creative-mondays-blog-hop-and-this.html

We carved pumpkins!

2013-10-29T20:38:00.000+00:00

My two girls (with a little help from my Uncle David) carved their very own pumpkins last week. They had a lot of fun doing it and I learned how to do it for next year. I can't believe that at 29, I have never carved a pumpkin. Thanks Uncle David! Now me and the girls can make carved pumpkins every year.

The girls both wanted 'witches cat' faces on their pumpkins. I don't think they look particularly catty but the girls are happy and that's the main thing! My little cousin Maddie joined in the fun aswell.

Three beautiful girls hard at work. They found the pumpkin too hard to scoop out with their spoons so Uncle David went round as much as he could with a sharp knife and loosened it all. That made it much easier for them to just scoop it out with their hands. They made a mess but they loved it!

When I had the girls all nicely positioned to get a cute picture for the blog, my little Mimie kept pulling funny faces every time I clicked the button. I love that her little personality is starting to really shine through now. She's such a cheeky one!

See the other girls starting to get cross because I wouldn't let them up until I had a good picture ;) Evil Mammy.

We got there in the end! Happy Halloween!

My Homegrown Vegetable Patio Garden - Week 24

2013-10-08T11:49:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I did a gardening post but not much has changed to be honest.

My tomato plants are still going strong, well some of them at least. Three of them died but the other five are still growing and producing tomatoes. Not enough for me to survive on but I wanted to see how much fruit I could get using only water, compost and sun. Next year I will try them with tomato feed and see if I get more fruit.

My poor raspberry plant was attacked by my naughty cat, who uprooted it. I will try raspberry again next year. I am planning on planting onion, garlic and spinach over the winter so I will be getting those started soon, as soon as the weather cools down a bit. Surprisingly for England in October, the weather is still quite nice!

My rosemary and parsley plants are still growing too. I'll be back with another gardening post as soon as I have something new to share. I don't want to bore you all with the same stuff each week ;)

The Birthday Girl's Tshirt Refashion

2013-09-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

Naomie's third birthday was at the end of August and I had bought a tshirt for her from Leyla. The tshirt was red and it said "Special Little Sister". When I received the top, however, I thought it looked a bit small. So what's a Mammy to do?

I cut the design off the too small tshirt and stitched it onto a plain white tshirt, using a zigzag stitch. Obviously with the design being on knit material, I didn't need to finish any edges.

This little project took me five minutes and the new tshirt will fit Naomie for a good while yet :D

The bag of many rainbows

2013-08-24T09:29:00.001+01:00

This week, I made myself this bag. Isn't it cute! So many rainbows. I took a plain cream bag, the bag for life type ones, and decorated it. There was a design on one side of the bag so I had to take another bag the same, cut out a plain square, draw my design on there and then stitch it onto this bag, over the design. I used a zigzag stitch to make sure it doesn't fray or come away in the wash. Don't forget to iron over your fabric pen or the picture won't last. I then added some cotton tape to reinforce the top and the handles, and three poppers to hold it closed.

So cute!

Lemon Avocado

2013-08-21T22:00:00.001+01:00

I made this the other day as snack for me and the girls and it was so quick and easy that I almost feel silly calling it a recipe. It was so tasty though that I feel I have to share it in case any of you have not tried it. You are seriously missing out!

Lemon Avocado (serves 2)

1 x ripe avocado
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Cut the avocado in half and carefully remove the stone. Sprinkle the cut side of each piece of avocado with a few drops of lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Add extra seasoning as desired. That is all there is to it. So simple and easy but so yummy! I would eat this every day if I could. Enjoy :)

Tulle pan scrubber

2013-08-20T19:35:00.004+01:00

I already make my own dish and cleaning cloths, but I needed something to clean my pans out. I go through an awful lot of steel wool so I wanted something washable that I could reuse over and over again. I looked around the internet for a while and the general consensus was that tulle was good for pan scrubbers. I decided to make one up. I have tons of scrap tulle in my stash so this project was free! I didn't necessarily use a pattern. I started it off like I would make a small hat, then just closed it off again. To make my tulle 'yarn', I cut some leftover tulle I had into approximately 3" strips. I didn't measure it at all, I just eyeballed it all the way down my strip. I knotted my ends of tulle together and used it as I would use normal yarn.

Tulle Pan Scrubber

You will need:

6mm crochet hook
tulle 'yarn'
wool needle with a very large eye

1. make a magic loop, ch1, work 6scs into loop, join with sl st in 1st sc (6)
2. ch1, turn, (working in back loops only) work 2scs in each st around, join with sl st in 1st sc (12)
3. ch1, turn, (working in back loops only) work 2scs in first st, work sc in next st, *work 2scs in next st, work sc in next st*, rep around, join with sl st in 1st sc (18)
4. ch1, turn, (working in back loops only) work 2scs in first st, work sc in next 2 sts, *work 2scs in next st, work sc in next 2 sts*, rep around, join with sl st in 1st sc (24)
5. ch1, turn, (working in back loops only) sc in each st around, join with sl st in 1st sc (24)
6. ch1, turn, (working in back loops only) sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, *sc2tog, sc in next 2sts*, rep around, join with sl st in 1st sc (18)
7. ch1, turn, (working in back loops only) sc2tog, sc in next st, *sc2tog, sc in next st*, rep around, join with sl st in 1st sc (12)
8. ch1, turn, (working in back loops only) sc2tog all around, join with sl st in 1st sc (6)
9. bind off and weave in ends

There you have it. A washable tulle pan scrubber. I will probably just throw this in my washing machine along with my other laundry. I have always washed tulle skirts in the washing machine and never had a problem although I definitely wouldn't risk tumble drying them.

I'm linking here:

My Homegrown Vegetable Patio Garden - Week 17

2013-08-19T19:34:00.002+01:00

My pictures of week 17 in the Mammy Made vegetable patio garden.

Lots of lovely tomatoes ripening away :) It makes me really happy to see so many. I am looking forward to eating all of them. I have had a few already and they taste so much nicer than the ones you buy in a supermarket!

I am still not doing anything special with my tomatoes, just watering them as and when they need it. I was originally going to feed them with tomato food, as I heard you need to if you want lots of fruit. I decided against it in the end though because I kind of wanted to see how many you could without adding the chemicals. It turns out you still get a lot, and they are truly organic!

Still nothing doing with my raspberry plant but I am hoping that lots of exciting stuff is happening under the surface.

My Homegrown Vegetable Patio Garden - Week 16

2013-08-17T17:14:00.001+01:00

My tomatoes are doing so well. I have so much fruit on there now, and it is all ripening nicely. I thought I would have more trouble with birds trying to steal the fruit but we have a lot of cats in the area so it seems they are keeping them away or at least the birds haven't found my little back yard yet :P

Look at all that fruit!

These are the very first five tomatoes I picked off my plants. They were so tasty, I can't even tell you. Me and the kids enjoyed them a lot.

I planted us a raspberry plant. I planted it far too late this year but to be honest, I forgot I had it. It is supposed to last for 10 years though so while I will not get any fruit this year, at least it is planted now and I can reap the benefits for many years to come :)

Apple and Blackberry Crumble

2013-08-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

I made a delicious apple and blackberry crumble the other day and wanted to share it all with you. My recipe uses packaged crumble mix but you can easily substitute your own mix.

Apple and Blackberry Crumble (serves 4)

2 x apples
225g blackberries
2tbsps cold water
2tsps brown sugar
400g packet crumble mix
custard, to serve

Peel and dice the apples. Add to a small pan, along with the water and sugar. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cook for a further 5 mins until the apples are almost soft. Add the blackberries and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Cover with the crumble topping. Cook on GM5/190C/375F for 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve hot, with custard. Sorry, I have no picture of it being served. I inhaled it too quickly ;)

I'm linking here: