Happy St.Patrick's Day

I've been thinking about my St. Patrick's Day post and wondering what it should be about.

I've considered crocheting shamrocks and making cupcakes with super green frosting.

Instead I've decided to show what we usually get up to on St. Patrick's day. The children and I usually go to watch their Dad and his friends at work.

My last post gave a little glimpse into my working world and how I earn my bread and butter.

I thought it might be fun to show you not only how we spend St. Patrick's Day but how the man in my life earns a crust.

What makes a good match for a Midwife ?

Here's a clue ....

Of course, a Circus Performer and Tutor !

Most years that I can remember we have travelled on the 17th of March t0 Downpatrick (burial place of St Patrick), and join in the Festival and watch the juggling, unicycling, fire eating and rolla bolla- ing and stilt walking. The children love to watch their Dad perform and have picked up a few skills themselves.

Various entertainers and Circus acts perform at different locations around the town. The children who have been tutored in Circus Skills Workshops through out the year take part in the parade.

Hope you enjoy the story of St. Patrick as told by a little girl and animated by Brown Bag Films.

My Bread and Butter

I don't often talk about my day to day job on my blog. This is mainly due to the confidential nature of Midwifery.

Some days my job is busy and there can be stressful times.

However the good days far out weigh the sad and difficult days.

I can honestly say that I Love my job.

I thought I'd share this amazing animation called "Mother of many" by Emma Lazenby to let you see what I do on a day to day basis.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I especially love how the midwife appears to draw the outline of the baby when she is palpating the mothers abdomen. I have always imagined that this is what I am doing when I am trying to find the position of a yet unborn baby.

The little sigh that the midwife gives at the end is just perfect.

I'm smiling just thinking about it.

You can find the complete animation here.

Doll quilt taster

This year I've been lucky enough to get involved with Doll Quilt Swap 8.

It's a project that I have watched from afar for the past few years and I have finally gathered the courage to join in.

You can read about past Doll Quilt swaps here and enjoy viewing the beautiful quilts that have been made in previous swaps here.

As hoped for I have an International swap partner and have been secretly checking out her likes and dislikes on her Blog and Flickr account. All in the hope that I will make a Doll Quilt that I hope she will love.

Well the postage date is nearly here.

I've doodled my design and collected my fabrics, cut and appliquéd, stitched and embroidered and created a quilt.

But I have a confession.

I am Terrified ! with a capital T.

What if the quilt doesn't get there on time ?

What if it is lost or damaged in the post ?

Worst of all what if my swap partner is disappointed with the quilt she receives?

I'm wondering if any of the other swapee's are this nervous ?

The flip side however is the excitement of receiving an original handmade doll quilt.

Just imagine a handmade quilt from one of the amazingly talented quilters involved. If you've followed the links to the Flickr group you'll understand just how wonderful these doll quilts are.

I have a little finishing up to do and my handmade quilt label to finish and then my quilt will be winging its way from Ireland to another continent.

I hope to post a pic of my finished quilt soon, but not before my partner has received it. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

Stupid Cupid

Could there be anything that says "I Love You" more than a heart shaped fried egg ?

Happy Valentines day

Weaving in the ends........

This is a sneak peek of the reverse side of a project that has been a long time in the making. But I can finally say that it will be finished and soon.

I have loved every part of making this throw. It is a project that evolved rather than one that was planned with any great care. I've never been one for sticking to the rules anyway.

Hopefully I'll be able to post a pic of the completed "Scattered Flower Throw" with more detail about how it was put together in the next week or so.

Before then I have just a few (hundred!) ends to weave in and some embellishment to finish on the edges.

(note to self- Learn to crochet in the ends as you go along!)

Tiny toes and Legendary throws

It's hard to believe that we moved to our new house in August and here we are in February and this is only my second blog post since the move !

Our new Home has take up most of our time. There has been a lot of renovating and sorting out needed and Thankfully we are nearing the end of phaze 1 of our building work.
Although we are still limited to a few rooms we thought it was time that we had some visitors.

For the past week we have been delighted to share our house with my husbands twin brother his gorgeous wife, our three little niece's and our one and only nephew.

They travelled from Wales by ferry and arrived on St. Brigid's day. Hannah brought me a beautiful hand woven St. Brigid's cross. Made from reeds. These crosses are traditionally woven each year on the 1st of February, ( the beginning of Spring) and are said to protect a house from fire. The cross made the previous year is either stored in the roof or burned. They resemble corn dollies. If you would like to make one there is a tutorial here.

I've always had a fascination for the Legend of Brigid. Both the Celtic and Christain and how the two have been combined over the years. Brigid has always been associated with the cleverness and strength of women, Patron Saint of Midwives, babies and Crafters.

The story of Brigid's Cloak is by far my favourite. You can read it here.
I've had it in my mind that this tale would lend itself to a beautiful painting or illustration, perhaps even some type of applique. When googling I found this print by Barrie Maguire, the other paintings in this Irish Quilt Series are amazing.

You can read Barries Blog here. While you are there take a look at his Irish Quilt Kit.

Coraline pumpkin

Happy Celtic New Year.
We are having a Coraline theme to our Halloween party this year.
I've just finished this pumpkin. I'm hoping to do another one as it needs a few adjustments here and there but thought I would post this one anyway.
More photos later.

The Best book shelf ever !

How Wonderful is this Bookshelf ?






You can find more details about the Designer here.... at Design Artist.









After recently moving house I've been looking for some new ideas. The new house needs some TLC and hopefully some of the work will be starting in the next few weeks. We have a big meeting with our builder on Monday. So in the meantime we are living with the previous owners taste in decor. Its exciting to be starting afresh with a new space to transform. We are trying to furnish this home with as many renewed pieces as we can, but will I'm sure find space some new stuff.


I've realised that after a few weeks browsing that there is a bit of a tree theme running through

the items that I have as favourites, some are unfortunately out side our budget like......

This Beautiful bed by Shawn Lovell Metal Works.

However I can afford this ....

Its from Urban Outfitters and more in my price range at £16.



This bed is cute but in my opinion is over dressed, I think it would be great with a less is more approach to the linen and accessories, what do you think ?




Its available on Etsy and called The Apple Tree bed, which is coincidental as since the first time we viewed our new home we have called it the Apple Tree House.
The bed is designed by Attilladesign.

Work in progress

My sewing bug has returned. Inspired by the birth of a friends new baby girl.
I've had this project or one similar to this in mind now for a long time and the birth of Charlotta's little girl has prompted me to give it a burl. I had lots of little tiny patchwork hexagons around after making my flower pin cushion so kindly blogged at turning*turning. So I thought I could put them to good use.

I really can't tell you how much I enjoy making tiny patchwork. I really enjoy using up little pieces of fabric that other wise would be thrown away, yet when put together can be spectacular.

The fact that you can easily carry it with you. Making every opportunity to do a little sewing, no matter where you are. Last week we took a trip to a nearby beach and while O & M explored I was able to sit by the shore line and sew (more about this trip soon).

I'm currently searching for a pretty red work monogram to embroider in the centre of the blanket stitched heart. I was wondering if anyone knew of any good "free" sites for monogram patterns ?
Hoping to get this finished in the next few days so I'll post a picture of it finished and framed.

Perfect Pound Cake

At home my family love my cupcakes and cookies. My cakes on the other hand are not met with the same enthusiasm.

For years I've been blaming it on my oven . I'm sure that before we bought it my cakes were much nicer.

In attempt to prove this theory I've been trying some new cake recipes. The first attempt was the Bruce Bogtrotter cake from Jane Brockets lovely book "Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer."

This was a very successful attempt. Couldn't fault my oven, I'm begining to realise it may be all in the Recipe.

This week I found the perfect Pound Cake recipe. So easy and it even worked for me. I originally found the recipe on RecipeZaar, but tweeked it a little.

Here's my version if you want to give it a try.



Perfect Pound Cake ......


3 cups golden caster sugar

1 cup softened cream cheese

1 1/2 cups softened butter

6 medium free range eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp good vanilla essence

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

3 cups plain flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt



1, Cream sugar, butter and cream cheese, untill pale

2, Add eggs one at a time, beat well

3, sift dry ingredients together and add in stages to cream mixture

4, place in well greased 10" pan (I used two ring baking pans as mine were smaller)

5, Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 mins

6, Let cake cool in pan for 15 mins before removing, this ensures the cake stays

moist.

7, Better served the day after baking.

Property development for Fairies

Recently we took a day to drive to the Ards Peninsula in County Down.

We walked through the grounds of Mount Stewart, enjoying the ancient trees and the carpet of bluebells.

Then we came across this little jetty at the edge of the lake.

These Alpine water ferns totally caught our imagination.

M and I almost immediately thought of Fairies.

We had recently read Barry and Tracy Kane's book "Fairy houses Everywhere"

The rest of the day was spent collecting materials and building.

We enjoyed building this little house so much .

I can see a Summer filled with more Fairy Real Estate.

I've agreed to carry a ball of twine and pair of nail scissors with us on all our walks and park visits just incase.

You can find some beautiful fairy houses created by Roxie on Flickr here and here.

Sometimes its Sunny

Some afternoons its Sunny in my back garden and here is the proof.
And, there are daisies popping up everywhere !



Hope the sun lasts for a few days more.

Sew Songs

I know I've been away from my blog for a while. Lots of new stuff has been happening though.
There is a new Home for us in the next few weeks and I've been busy organizing all the grown up contract stuff for that.
I have lots of new ideas for this house as its pretty much a blank canvas. We will have lots more room and a beautiful garden and to top it all an Apple Tree!!
So as you can guess there has been limited crafting happening around here.
Just lots of cutting ideas from magazines and a little sewing, accompanied by the
Beautiful voice of Lisa Hannigan.....




This song "I don't know " is free on Itunes

Lovely album cover as well, don't you think ?

Pear and Almond

After an unplanned break from my blog I've eventually got my act together to post. It's not that I haven't been thinking of blogging, but with a nasty chest infection and a sprained ankle I just haven't had the energy to do very much.
However I'm glad that both have now resolved and I'm back to my old self.
Anyway the picture above is of my latest muffin flavor combination.
Even if I do say so myself they are scrummy.
Sweet, moist and delicious. Best eaten when still warm.
I've used my regular muffin recipe but substituted 1 oz of ground almonds for 1 oz of flour, added a few drops of almond essence and some freshly chopped ripe pears.
A dusting of icing sugar while they were cooling just finished them off nicely.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

I don't know about you but my hands have been Freezing over the past few weeks.

This has prompted me to search for nice patterns for hand warmers. Although I like the idea of a full glove, they prove to be unpractical and I hate the loss of dexterity that comes with having the ends of your fingers covered.
So for me the perfect solution is market gloves, hand warmers or fingerless gloves.
I found these crocheted beauties on Etsy, made by the lovely Salina.

You can find more lovely things made by Salina on her blog Salina's Home Journal. I just love the cotton lace trim so much.

Thank you Salina. They are so comfortable, warm and most importantly pretty.

There is a saying that goes "Cold hands , Warm Heart" so to prove this true I've decided to have my first Give Away.

While searching for pretty patterns I have been tinkering with my own and have come up with these.

Please excuse the dodgy nail painting, nail art is unfortunately not my forte. I must get M trained up in the art of manicure.
If you leave a comment to this post with a link or copy of your favourite soup recipe before the 1st of February, I will enter you into the draw to win a pair of these hand warmers. You can choose the colour.
Good Luck.

The challenge of a Chocolate cake.

There has been some Very cold weather around here lately , so the fire has been lit most nights.
Some of the best things in the world according to O are a real fire and a Chocolate cake. I tend to agree.
Now I must admit to being a lot more proficient in the cupcake making department.
I tend to burn large cakes a lot !
Not sure why as my scones, cookies and other baking are usually OK, some of it I'm told is very good.

So I saw 2009 as the year to conquer my fear of the CAKE !!

Luckily for me one of my Christmas presents was "Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer" by the ingenious Jane Brocket. While following her blog Yarnstorm I had always admired her cake making expertise. Jane's cakes were never runny in the middle and burnt to a crisp at the edges like mine.

Book in hand I accepted the challenge from O to attempt the Bruce Bogtrotter Chocolate Cake. The ideas for the recipes in Jane's book all come from children's fiction. They can all be found either being made or eaten by the characters in stories that we all know and love.
The origin of the Chocolate cake is from Roald Dahl's "Matilda" were Bruce Bogtrotter is made to finish eating a large chocolate cake by miss Trunchbull as punishment for stealing. My children have always loved this story and were delighted at the thought of having a slice of the cake from "Matilda".

The resulting cake I'm glad to say was a complete success. I'm so pleased that at last I have found a chocolate cake recipe that works for me and my oven.

Another Christmas present was the pastry tin to make these pretty buns.

They are made using the Garden Gang cake pan from Lakeland. Available here. Small buns are much more familiar territory for me . The tin is made of really heavy aluminium. I was apprehensive that it would be difficult to remove the cakes in one piece after baking, but the tin works beautifully and gives a beautiful result.

Starting the Year

I can't believe this is my first post of 2009 ! Where have those two weeks gone? Working night shift over Christmas has meant that the holidays have zoomed past for me. The Maternity unit where I work was has been very busy over the past few weeks.

I thought I'd post this photograph taken by D on the first walk of the year. It's of the road approaching Slieve Binnion in the Mourne Mountains. I think it is such a tranquil scene. It reminds me to slow my pace in 2009. The natural colour scheme of purple, pink and green is so soothing and the dry stone wall is a beautiful contrast.

So far in 2009 I've been smitten by the hand stitching bug and have spent the past few nights stitching these tiny fabric boxes while sitting by a lovely peat fire.

They are great for holding small items of jewellery. I've also used them over Christmas as gift boxes to hold small surprises. They are also a good way to use up those little scraps left over from bigger projects.

The pattern for these little gems can be found in this book.

Which is available here.

Seasons Greetings

Wishing you all a Peaceful and Happy Holiday.

All my parcels are posted

Phew !!! What a week.

I've finally got the last parcel in the post. Now to tackle the Christmas baking and finish off the presents for those closer to home.

I thought I'd share this Post Office advert circa 1951 by Lotte Reiniger, to celebrate that this year all my presents should reach their destination in time for Christmas.

Isn't it Great?

I love Lotte Reiniger's work so much that I bought M the DVD of Lotte's "Fairy Tale Films" for Christmas. Most of her short films included are based on classic fairy tales and all animated using her distinctive Paper Silhouette technique. The DVD is available here and you can find more clips of her work on Youtube.

I am amazed by her delicate attention to detail. Her work is Magical.

Prints of some of Lotte's stills can be ordered here.

You can read more about her work and life here.