Halloween Ideas

As Halloween is coming up I thought I'd share a few ideas from last year with you. The glittery skull in my fireplace was made from a cheap, plastic, joke shop skull that was painted with glue and covered in glitter. We then illuminated it with ice cold fairy lights and black candles.

I kept the fireplace fairly simple with black candles and some spooky cut outs on the mirrors.

Nev looked dangerous and dapper in his tux!

Another glittery skull was used to top this cupcake tower. You can't see it very well in this picture but I used red rose petals with LEDs underneath them in the fabric.

Some chocolate and berry meringues were turned into ghosts.

I just dressed as myself...

Sloe Gin Mincemeat

I know it's annoying when Christmas stuff appears too early but when it comes to festive cooking being prepared is essential! If you like mincemeat you'll love my Sloe Gin version. It's spicy, aromatic and fruity, yet retains a sophisticated edge. You can find the recipe here on Gintime! If you've never made mincemeat before, please give it a try - it is so easy it cant even be called cooking.

My friend informed me yesterday that she was going to make her Christmas Cakes today, now that's dedication!

My Ultimate Chocolate Cake

I've experimented with all sorts of chocolate cake over the last few years and have finally found one that's 'just right' for me. First of all I wanted it to be very dark but not bitter. Then it had to be moist but I didn't want to make one with just oil as I feel they lack flavour. Lastly it had to be light with a hint of fudgieness.

I used a Basic Victoria Sponge recipe for this: the weight of my eggs with the same weight in fat, sugar, and flour.

Juliet's chocolate cake:

Weight of eggs - to make 12 decent sized cupcakes I used 2 large eggs which was 4oz.
Fats: 2 oz butter plus 2 oz vegetable oil
Sugar: 3 oz unrefined castor sugar plus 1 oz soft dark brown sugar
Flour: 2½ oz self raising flour plus 1½ oz dark cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180°C/gas 4. Beat the fats and sugars until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and beat until just combined. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and fold in until just combined. Bake in a cake pan or divide amongst cup cake cases. For cupcakes bake for 10-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs stuck to it.

I topped my cupcakes with a chocolate butter icing.

Hot Legs

Unfortunately I've lost the 'before' photo for this post. However these shorts were originally a pair of my boyfriend's old chino type trousers that had an unfortunate hole in the groin area! I think a lot of men's shorts can look too baggy and unflattering so cropping a pair of tailored trousers is a good solution for a smarter look. I used some of the chopped off fabric to patch the hole and then hemmed them with my machine. A quick refashion is much better than throwing something in the bin, it's like getting clothes for free! Do you like Nev's modelling pose? I would have been delighted to put his face in but he's too shy!

Another Baby Blanket

I've been busy making yet another baby blanket after the success of blanket number one. The pattern for this one came from Attic 24, a lovely blog with plenty of crochet projects to inspire you.

My next woolly project is going to be a big thick jumper for me. I've got a few craft projects in mind for the baby but have realised I really need to get my winter wardrobe sorted out too!

I made a maxi dress!

One of the best investments a woman can make is a sewing machine. I inherited my first one when I was 13 and made myself all sorts of clothes throughout my teens including ballgowns! The style at the time was for taffeta skirts under a velvet boned bodice with a taffeta shawl round the shoulders. Tartan taffeta was very popular I recall. Apologies for that sartorial horror story!

I think the quality of sewing patterns is excellent these days and you can get so many of the current trends. The difficulty with dressmaking can be acquiring the fabric you want and it's not such a money saving hobby any more if you're used to buying very cheap high street fashions. However, you do end up with something unique, that fits perfectly and in better quality fabric that you might be able to afford pre made. My sewing machine set me back £85 and it does all the stitches I need including ones for stretch fabric, hemming and button holes.

After over three months of feeling nauseous and tired I needed a glamour boost, not to mention clothes that have a bit more room for my expanding baby tummy! This pattern (Vogue 8386) isn't a maternity one but the gathers at the front are quite like some maternity dresses and it feels so easy to wear. You can probably tell from the photo above that I hate getting my picture taken (which is why I've never posted dressmaking projects on here before) but I'm going to be spending a lot of time on my wardrobe in the next few weeks so need to be less camera shy if I'm to show you what I'm up to!

Planet Mummy

Although I'll definitely be blogging about baby crafts on here I don't want to turn this into a mummy and baby blog. Although I think having a baby is the most exciting thing in the world, others might disagree! So, as you do, I started another blog dedicated to everything about having and caring for a baby. If you are pregnant or have a little one you might want to check out Planet Mummy.