Giveaway! Kids Crafternoon Felting

I have a few soap boxes. One of those is the pinkification of kids craft kits and anything crafty. Pretty, pink and purple boxes with fairies, flowers and butterflies. Never mind about the boys, some girls don't even like it. Kids craft books are often pinkification offenders too. Craft is not just for girls, nor lovers of pink. Which is why I think the Crafternoon Series of kids craft books, edited by the lovely Kathreen of WhipUp, are great.  

I should fess up and tell you that I have a project in the Felt version of the series. Mine is the robot (you can bend his arms and legs!) but, while I'm chuffed beyond belief to be included, I would still think this book was great regardless.  

The series of books cover, sewing, paper, beads and felt and provide an excellent range of projects, perfect for school aged kids. I also like that the projects are quite cool and sophisticated - not dumbed down just because the book is aimed at kids. 

I especially love Zombie Key Chain monsters by Lisa from The Red Thread:

image from: The Red Thread

The books are available at bookshops and online (Booktopia has them for 15% off at the moment). Or, if you would like to win a copy, leave a comment here telling me who you want the book for and you'll be in the draw. Make sure you leave a link to your blog or twitter account or an email address with your comment. I'll draw a random winner on Monday 5 December. 

And here's some other contributors to the book (hint you can still win a copy of the book on the last couple of blogs):

NOV 14: The Red Thread
NOV 15: Soosz
NOV 16: mmmcrafts
NOV 17: Between the Lines
NOV 18: Christine Chitnis
NOV 19: Chez Beeper Bebe
NOV 20: The Happy Zombie
NOV 21: Go Make Me
NOV 22: Love in the Mommyhood
NOV 23: JCasa Handmade
NOV 24: Picklebums
NOV 25: Modern Parents Messy Kids
NOV 26: Simple Kids
NOV 27: li'l magoolie

NOV 30: Little Eco Footprints
DEC 1: Lisa Siebert on Poppytalk

Edited to add: apologies but this is open only to people with an Australian address. Check some of the other links above if you're overseas and want to win...or keep an eye on www.thetoysociety.blogspot.com in the next day or so...)

Christmas Tree Bunting

It's creeping up on us and I know from looking at the stats that there's quite a few people out there ramping things up in readiness for Christmas. The Christmas Tree Bunting post is the most popular post on this little blog and every year around this time it starts getting a good work out. 

I'm chuffed, I quite like Christmas and I made the bunting on a whim a few years ago when I was starting to add new traditions, decorations and treats to our little family celebrations. It was also the year of our first  advent calendar, which is now a much anticipated annual tradition. 

This year I plan to:

- Make some new bunting

- Making gingerbread houses, again. Love this new tradition

- Making 2 new advent calendars for the nephews

- Finishing most of my Christmas shopping early. Although I will still visit the shops just before Christmas as I usually forget someone or decide I need something extra. Sadistic as it sounds, I like the thrill of a visit to the shops in the last week before Christmas. 

- Lots of baked treats - pudding, cake, gingerbread biscuits, mince pies, neenish tarts, jam, fudge and some new additions yet to be decided

- Making some gifts - softies and other things to play with

Let's see how I go with that list, huh. Got anything I should add to it?

Up The Duff

Yep, up the duff. At the point of writing this I'm 22 weeks.

I have spent a bit of time looking over the posts I wrote when I was up the duff with The Smurf and I've really enjoyed them. It's nice to look at those pictures and read those words and re-experience some of the feelings and thoughts and I don't want to miss that this time round.

Oh Help! Oh No! It's a Gruffalo!

Yes, it's a cake! The Smurfs' cake. No, I didn't make it; an amazing, generous friend did. Every last little fondant character.

It's that time of year again. Last year it was a merchandise obsessed cowboy. This year, a feast, in the gorgeous National Botanic Gardens (or the deep dark wood, depending on your imagination), with our favourite storybook character - The Gruffalo. 

The invites were sent, rsvps collected and the food list discussed - scrambled snake, roasted fox, owl icecream and gruffalo crumble for the kids, of course. 

Despite being organised, a last minute decision to finish some things of the night before, instead of the morning of the party. A decision that turned out to be wise without knowing.

 Unfortunately, the Smurf was rushed to hospital via ambulance at 2.30am with a bad croup and asthma attack.

Thankfully with some steroids it resolved itself and we were back home by 5.30am. After only half an hour sleep more, the Smurf was up and at em with his cousins, in anticipation of the party.

Canberra turned on a spectacularly sunny day - albeit with a icy-cold wind (fun for the northern visitors who all whimpered every time the wind gusted).

We trudged up to the gardens armed with party supplies for 20 kids and many more adults (when will I learn?!).

I was prepared with a copy of The Gruffalo to read to the kids, a nature scavenger hunt, pinata, pin the poisonous wart on the Gruffalo's nose and a collection of equipment-less games (what's the time Mr Wolf etc) in case the kids were bored in the gardens (no play equipment, just magnificent beauty to behold).

I needn't have bothered. The kids were enamoured with the gardens. They ran, explored and climbed on the rock garden.  If there was a Gruffalo to be found in those gardens, by golly they would have found it. We were also lucky enough to have the local old-bloke kangaroo quietly munching grass all day to the endless delight of the kids.

They ran back to the table every so often for food - which I was so prepared to photograph this year, but alas after my 2 1/2 hours sleep you'll just have to take my word for it when I say there was (very popular) mini sausages in a roll (roasted fox), teeny little dip cups with carrot and cheese sticks for dipping, fairy bread and zucchini slice (scrambled snake).

(The adults had chicken, walnut and mayo ciabatta rolls, ham, cheese and relish sandwiches, trash dip and a cheese platter).

After a long time playing, I decided I would try my luck getting the kids to sit on a picnic blanket and listen to me read The Gruffalo. ALL TWENTY KIDS SAT QUIETLY and listened. They loved the book.

We quickly segued into a failed pinata. Failed because someone forgot to tell the pinata assistant that the kids would have a token hit at the pinata with a stick before pulling the strings (that kind of pinata). And so some kids pulled the string straight away and out came the lollies - meaning it all lasted about 20 seconds. The kids didn't care, they got to scramble for loot (see above).

A quick game of pin the poisonous wart on the gruffalo's nose....

...and it was time for the amazing cake.

Hands off the cake newphew! And that's the smurf in the stripes in the corner of the photo above reminding everyone he is F.O.U.R. OK?

With some owl cupcakes (owl ice cream substitute) and fruit sticks). 

No need for Gruffalo crumble though - there was an ACTUAL gruffalo on the cake! 

Lots more playing before the lolly bags were handed out, everyone wandered down the hill and the party was over. 

It was, if I am allowed to say, a brilliant party. The Smurf had a ball and held it together after a night of just 4 hours sleep. He had his kindy and Canberra friends, treasured family and precious cousins there. It was our first foray into inviting people outside of family and our own friends and I won't hesitate to do it again. 

Speaking of memorable, the next day in front of all the family in our backyard, one of our hens revealed itself as a rooster. Cockadoodle-do!

Happy birthday my beautiful Smurf. Every day you make me smile in wonder at the amazing person you're growing up to be. We love you to the sun and back times infinity. 

Homesewn

I made some undies! Yep, made my own undies.

Whenever I tell people they seem to think it's hugely amusing or gross. Whatever, I'm not the first to make my own. It was ridiculously easy too, instead of a pattern you cut up an old pair and trace a pattern from them. Easy! You can even use a (washed) old tshirt.

Next time I will sew the elastic on the inside, I think. I used a slightly heavy jersey, which makes for a nice comfy fit.

I followed the details here.

What do you think about sewing your own undies? Hugely amusing? Gawd you're disgusting? Or I'm clicking on that link right now!

Falafel – If you love them, this recipe will change your (falafel eating) life

Bold statement I know, but let me explain. 

Falafel are yummy. Having once been vegetarian for about 10 years, I feel qualified. I still favour falafel over a shawarma (lamb kebab), even though I am back to eating meat now. So, as a falafel lover, I have been making them for years but I could never get that delicious crisp outside with light fluffy insides – you know what I mean.

I’ve tried all the same recipes you have. On all those websites, in all my (many) cookbooks and food magazines, from blogs and the tried and tested ones scribbled on paper. Most of them were fine, but none of them were perfect or close to authentic and not one of them used (what I now know to be) the proper method. 

The main problem was that, without fail, they fall apart in the pan. So then of course I would add egg and rice flour to bind the mix – which in turn makes them hard, dry and yuck. Every.single.time.

Then last year after searching for some authentic recipes and chatting with a Lebanese friend,  I found the answer. I didn’t believe it at first. Soaked, and not cooked, chickpeas. NEVER tinned. The not boiled bit was what threw me, but who am I to argue with hundreds (thousands?) of years of cooking falafel? (Incidentally I stupidly did try and defy those many generations of experience by using boiled peas on my first attempt at this method. GUARANTEED FAILURE, but by all means do feel free to try it out yourself.)

So, believe me (and the many, many middle-eastern families who’ve been doing it this way for generations) it works. You can thank me later for all the testing and practising I’ve done for you. Why didn’t I go down this path earlier?

Before I share the recipe I use, here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way through trial and error.

• Soak your beans for a LONG time. At least 24 hours – or they will not hold together. Just put them in a bowl, cover with water and ignore them on the bench for a day or two. Sometimes I even leave them for two nights. But replace your water once or twice if you remember. 

• You can use just chickpeas or broad beans or a combination of both.  You will need to shell the broad beans though (after they are soaked).

•  You will need to scrape down the sides of your food processor when you blitz them. Probably a couple of times. Persist with it, if it’s not blitzed well it won’t cook well.

• Make a double batch and freeze half of the made up mix. Revelation I tell you! Works perfectly. Just defrost, roll into balls and fry. Falafel whenever you feel like it.

• You can buy dried pulses from the supermarket, but I prefer to get mine from the market. Buying in bulk is fine, they keep for ages. I also boil up a big batch (not for falafel, of course!) then freeze with a bit of the boiling water in small containers or ziplock bags. Cheaper and much yummier than tinned chickpeas and with less salt.  Also, a good way to afford organic. 

• You can shallow pan fry the falafels in oil if you prefer not to deep fry them.

• If you’re new to deep frying, you can use a small saucepan to deep fry in batches so that you don’t need to use as much oil. Just make sure your saucepan edge is high enough so the oil won’t overflow when you put your felafel in to fry. Fill the saucepan with oil about 5cm high and make sure you turn your felafels during cooking to brown all sides.

• Add some sesame seeds to the mix. 

And now the recipe. You will find most authentic falafel recipes are pretty much like this. Some use more garlic, some ask for baking powder instead of bicarb soda, whatever the slight tweaks, the soak - blitz with flavour -fry method remains the same.

Download Recipe with tips here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dried chickpeas (DON'T shortcut with tinned or boiled it will not work)

1 cup dried broad beans (as above cannot be stressed enough!)

1 small red onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley (can add or substitute with fresh coriander)

1 tsp bicarb soda

1 1/2 tsp salt flakes (less if using table salt)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

Water (a couple of Tbsp)

Oil for frying

METHOD

Soak the chickpeas and broad beans for at least 24 hours. Shell the broad beans when they are soft enough to pop out of the shells. Do NOT use tinned or boiled beans, they must be dried and soaked.

Drain the beans and rinse.

Place all ingredients, except the water and oil, in the food processor. Pulse the mixture until it is gritty, but fine.

You will need to scrape the sides of your bowl a few times. Add the water to help the mixture along. You might need lots, you might need a little – it depends on the mixture. Give the mix one last blitz for good measure.

Heat deep fryer (or oil in the pan). Throw in a parsley leaf to test it. It should sizzle well, but not too vigorously. (If the oil isn’t hot enough your felafel will be oily, but if it’s too hot the outside will cook before the middle).

Roll balls (not too big 1 – 2 Tbsp of mix) of falafel mix and carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry until brown and crisp all over.

Drain on paper towels and serve hot.


Download recipe with tips here. 

On saddles and getting back in them

It's not like I don't think about coming back to this space. And it's not like I'm not doing any crafty stuff. It's just that I've been away from this space for so long that I get intimidated by getting started back on posting. 

So I'll keep it simple while I'm climbing back into the saddle. Simple, like this Asymmetrical Wrap top I made a few weeks ago. Genius pattern. Cut in 1 piece in 5 mins. Another 5 for adjusting and a maximum of 10 minutes zig-zag stitching around the edges  because I couldn't be arsed to change the thread on the overlocker. 

Made in a cheap wool acrylic blend to test the pattern. So good that I'm now busy assessing the nice stuff to make some more of these.

Fix it closed with a brooch and it's my new fav top for wearing in autumn. 

Nice to see you again! I think I'll come back soon to tell you about How to Love Canberra and my beautiful "vintage" house.