Easy Ice-cream lemon and Vanilla Cupcakes .......x

In all the madness and busyness this week.....some cupcake making happened. For a class 1 cake sale......what do kids love? Cakes? Ice-creams? Lets put them together.............

Ice-cream Cupcakes.....

6oz unsalted butter.

6oz caster sugar.

6oz self raising flour.

half teaspoon of baking powder.

1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

3 free range eggs.

2 tablespoons of milk.

Pre-heat your oven to 200c........

Mix butter and sugar until light and creamy, then sift in your baking powder and flour, add the eggs, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Next add the milk, this give the batter a lovely creamy texture, and makes it easier to work with I find ( I always use milk in my basic cake recipes)

Now spoon in to cupcake cases....or if you are making these for little people, fairy cake cases would probably be better for them , as there is ALOT of icing to these cakes once finished.

Bake in the centre of your oven for around 15 minutes ( 10 if making smaller ones ) or until risen and lightly golden. You can always use a skewer to test the middle.

Leave on a wire rack to cool completely before adding.........

Lemon Icing.....

3.5 oz unsalted butter.

8 oz icing sugar sifted.

1 lemon.

This is a basic butter icing, but using lemon for flavouring. I find using the lemon makes for a nice smooth icing which will be a dream to pipe out.

I pop the butter and icing sugar in a mixer and blast for a few minutes, once combined, I then squeeze some lemon in and then mix again....be careful not to over mix. How much lemon you add is entirely up to your taste buds...we love lemon, so practically a whole one goes in.

Now using a piping bag ( disposable cheap ones can be found in most kitchen shops, or try the web )...and I simply cut the end off, filled the bag with icing and piped in an ice-cream manner...imagining I was a 1950's ice-cream lady....There's no need for fancy piping sets and bags here, I personally HATE swirly poo looking topped cakes ( sorry to put you off ), though this one demands a large swirl!

Add hundreds and thousands then using a flake chocolate bar, quarter it, and add 1 quarter of flake to each cupcake, pushing down through the icing into the cake to secure.....

Don a tea dress, curl your hair, add red lipstick.........and afternoon ice-cream style tea is ready...enjoy x

Oh the weekend joys.......

..............................of teaching biggest bumblebee to use the singer sewing machine to make a dress for her soft bunny..........................

.....................of reading the weekend papers with a glass of red......................................

............of noticing the sunlight bouncing on garden picked grape hyacinths and daffodils................

.........of re-reading Mother's day cards and poems over and over again, and displaying them for the world to see..............

............................of placing potatoes to be chitted on the window sills, looking forward to all the yumminess they will bring later in the year.....

..........of receiving two glorious books from the bumblebee's, and actually being able to read them a while, uninterrupted I may say...............

................................am still dreaming of my weekend.....................................xxx................................

A weekend wander.........x

Meandering through magnificent gardens, wandering historic rooms full of secrets past, this afternoon was time to get out national trust cards out, and have a little visit to a local house and gardens.

Montacute is such a pretty Somerset village, but also a great way to spend an afternoon, when you don't quite know what to do, because you've spent the morning food shopping and saying goodbye -till the next visit, to Grandpa ( off he zoomed back to Sussex ). And waiting to take a bumblebee to a birthday party late afternoon........a few hours to kill.....then lets soak up a bit a Englishness ..........."oooh yeah" we said....( and pocket monies were spent in the gift shop, more tat, but what can a girl do? They love all that nick nack  nonsense, anyway, mostly it'll be eaten by one of the dogs, or sucked up the hoover....I don't mind which )...............

Now can I just mention a most excellent giveaway on one of my most favourite blogs?  A THRIFTY MRS X is giving away something quite perfect...go take a peek and enter, though if you win, you will have to give the prize to me as I told you about it. Those are my terms..............hehe...

Hope all mummies everywhere have a lovely day tomorrow......sending much love to you all, we have the best job in the world. THE BEST, and no matter how tough or testing it can be at times, just a little smile, a hold of your hand, those three words spoken oh so softly, you feel like your home. Where you are meant to be. Doing what you are meant to be doing, with those lovely people you love so much.

xxxxxxxx HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY LADIES xxxxxxxxxxx

Going slowly.....................x

My mind is as muddled as my knitting basket......I'm having a day to be me today. 

 Though am slowly doodling with some work I've been asked to do.....listening to Ed Sheeran, looking out of the window at the daff's........and even though it's a damp, foggy Somerset day. It's beautiful to me. And perfect for my frame of mind today......

 I think even Sethy dog is having a day to himself......dreaming about bones, biscuits and apples ( he like apples, infact he's crazy for them.....and I'm sure he smiles at you when you give him one....funny chap )

Hope you are all finding time for you today x

Mother's Day Doings....# stuff's they likes..x

I think, a little bit of what you fancy is just the thing on Mother's Day. So with that in mind, off I trotted shopping for nice motherly things.......

First stop was of the internet kind. A fav fabby bargain place.... THE BOOK PEOPLE who I use  alot, ALOT people! I use them for children's party bag fillers too, the deals on the kiddies collection books are great, but if you have small-un's, you'll already know this.

I just couldn't resist HOPE AND GREENWOOD 's book for my Mum, oooh and black forest fudge? Will be jotting that recipe down quick sticks.....But such a nice book, yummy looking recipes, which are not unattainable, quite simple but tasty looking, beautiful vintage illustrations too......

I feel like, there's no need to spend a fortune, but to buy things or make things that will be appreciated, and used......( my reasoning for herbal teas, and chocolate bars )

The girls also made a Dead Sea Bath Detox this weekend.....mixing many salts and green clay.....I for one am looking forward to mine....hoping it comes with a large glass of wine too??????

I think I'm quite safe in showing all these things to you, I did tell my Mum not to look on the blog this week, though is that too tempting?!  

So while the bumblebee's came home exhausted and with  tempers fraying after swimming with Q yesterday....I thought...." hooo hummmm little ladies, shall we make some cards for the Grannies?" So we did, and it was fun. Weaving, just using bits of garden magazines for the florals, and polka dot wrapping, and perhaps some left over beano.......I say " more weaving, kiddies should be doing more weaving, experimenting with different papers and colours, MORE WEAVING" .........we liked the weaving.

Now off I go to look after big bumblebee, off school again with coughs and a wheezin. She's ok really, just needs me to keep an eye on her chest and breathing say I....we might go and visit the Library now.......cos we are both book worms.

Over and out lovelies.

xx

Mother's Day Doings......# Heartfelt Brooches x

Following on from the last post of  MOTHER'S DAY DOINGS......

If you have a spare half hour, dig out your fabric stash, and have a go at one of these brooches. I can't claim to have discovered these myself, oh no, a lovely pal did show me how to make these, one fabby giggly night at a craft evening ( she does those, once a month )....and have been meaning to make one for  the Mummy and Mummy in law ever since.

YOU WILL NEED:

Approx 13" x 1.5" ( for the small brooch ) of fabric

Approx 19" x 3" ( for the large brooch ) of fabric

Cotton.

Scissors.

Other small scraps of fabric/felt.

Vintage buttons.

Brooch backs.

# brooch backs found at craft or haberdashery shops in packs.....ever so useful to have some about the house.

Ready? let's go......

Find a suitable fabric for your brooch. If you are making it for someone else, bear in mind your choice/taste may be different to theirs. I also used some ticking - a sample I was thinking of using for curtains. If you have a favourite top that is ripped or ruined you could easily use that.

Measure, and cut your fabric length....then if you fancy a bit of fringing , I find now is the easyiest time to do that. Simply pull the threads, one by one, away from the edge which will eventually be the outside of the brooch. Keep going until you find a thickness you like.....( tis very much down to you, how thick or fine you fancy it )

See? Still with me? Ok.......next you will need to sew a simple running stitch along the other edge of the fabric ( this is about to be the middle of your brooch ) all the way to the end......then pull tight to gather the fabric in a ruffled fashion. Secure with a few knots and you should now have, what looks like the beginnings of your brooch.

Now it's time to cut some small circles ( I used cotton spool ends! )...and find a favourite button too.....then sew these together and add to the brooch with a few stitches.

   

 

Next is the back.....another small circle will hide all the stitches and messy middle...and is also the place to sew on your brooch back.

 Are you finished?!!!!! Me too............ aren't they the sweetest? Again I think children could do these, and you could always layer up the fabric too.

These will be going into the Mother's Day Hamper ...along with the bath soaks, and a few more makes and gifts in the next few days.

B.T.W how delicious is that feedsack material??????? I might keep that one actually......is that naughty?! 

Happy Brooch making xxxx

Mother's Day Doings.......# Bath Soaks x

I thought, with Mother's day looming upon us, I might share a few D.I.Y crafts, makes, ideas for those lovely ladies in our lives. To say thank you, I love you, you are special, wonderful, and perfect.

My thoughts are this. Lovely thoughtful inexpensive gifts.

So this is my first make.

A pamper/relax/mummy moment.

ROSEMARY AND CHAMOMILE BATH SOAK.

You will need:

One large sprig of fresh Rosemary.

One handful of dried Chamomile.

One cup of porridge oats.

A large square of muslin.

Length of string.

Tag.

Ribbon.

Scissors.

# Dried chamomile flowers can be found in your nearest health shop, or online. ( or perhaps you are super fab and have some dried flowers you can use from your own garden...lavender would also do. )

# Cheap muslin can be found at most fabric shops.

Righty ho lovelies, this is soooo quick and easy...blink and it's done.

 Mix your oats and chamomile together and add to the middle of your fabric square.

Pop on top your rosemary sprig.

Gather the corners of your fabric together, to make a little bag, and tie with your string. ( I have left a loop on my string so that my Mummy can dangle her bath soak from the taps......)

Write a little tag, declaring your bath soak, and easy instructions.....

DONE!

Wouldn't you just love one of these, made with love?!

Super easy for children o do too.....perfect presents also for Granny.

And already smells amazing...might just make one up for me......

So over the next week or so, I'll be bringing you more ideas........look out.

xxx

Wardrobe fa laaa laaaaaaaaaa.....x

  

This morning, as the sun shone in the bright blue sky, I had a thought. And it was this...." Nattie, why not take some pwetty pictures of the finished wardrobe in the bumblebee's bedroom for all the bloggy world to see? Tis a perfect morning for it, light and shadows shall dance together...it will be fun"....

Oh what a shame, when I realized the camera thought it would be the perfect day for it to play silly games. Humpffffff......I reached for my phone....and this is what we made together.....

A few wardrobe tra la laaaa I'm finished pictures, though blurry ( don't tell the wardrobe, she'll get upset, let's say she looks mysterious and magical ok? ).....

Can you even believe those cheeky bumblebee's have caused a clothing chaos already inside????? Do they not know how many ironing hours ( ok more like minutes, ok a quick swipe over with the iron, that's it ) have gone into those clothes? Flung inside, how ruuuuude......back to miss wardrobe...

I am pleased she's done, she wasn't the easiest piece of furniture to paint.....always moaning, complaining, wouldn't  sit still.......

Though, she sits, quite happily now, nestled in with little bumblebees desk, by the fairy picture, and sometimes, if I listen ...very quietly, if I really concentrate, I can hear her singing.......ever so faintly.

Happy wardrobe. Happy Bumblebee's. Happy me........happy, happy, happy.

xxxx

P.S.....A few things that make me not so happy. Just for a bit of balance.

1. The cut out carpet round the wardrobe...WHY do people do this? It's just wrong, wrong, wrong.

2. Cats that make nests on the children's beds, hair, sticky leaves and stuffs eurgh.

3. My stinking camera not working.

4. Little bumblebee's desk needs replacing....old vintage school one needs to be found, but not at a ridiculous price..hang your head in shame Mr's wot over price on their stalls.

5.  I have a head cold, sore teeth, and throat. And am quite grumpy. very grumpy.

6. There's no chocolate in the house.

xxx