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Thursday, December 30

PRIZE!!!

What better way to start the year than to win something!? This is your last chance to win before I draw it tmrw!! Comment below what your fav post was this year on hobby horses and leave your email address! Then you are in to win!! x

Friday, December 24

100th POST! (AND CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!)

I didn't think I'd ever make it to 100 posts... but here I am!
Happy Christmas everyone! Thanks for reading and your kind support!
To celebrate both occasions I am doing a special CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!
That's right! One of you lucky readers will get a Christmas Hobby Horses prize!!!

All you have to do is comment on this post telling me your favourite thing that I've posted this year and leave your email address. I will draw the winner next week.

Looking forward to another year of fun crafty business.

Here is my Christmas theme...

My tree...


I made all the decorations but the star!


These balls I made with wool. Like the lampshade I made earlier in the year.


Candycanes that I made last year...


New felt Russian dolls, to go with my theme!




Felt Gingerbread men (I sold lots of these at the craft markets!)


Christmasy buntings


The whole caboodle...


Matching pressies under the tree...



Every year I normally make gingerbread houses on Christmas eve (often followed by the watching of Love Actually and a visit to the Christmas Grotto)... a tradition that I started with my good friend Bindy. Sadly since I was on a early flight to Oz on this day, it couldn't be done. :-( So I whipped up my own gingerbread house the day before! (I had great plans to pull off the church of St. Petersburg, but lack of skills and time constraints saw the end of that idea) Thus this slightly munted house had to do... (Sizing is a bit off cause I didn't use a template or kitset)



It's not Christmas in Aussie yet, we are 3hrs behind home. But I wish you a very happy Christmas all the same!
(DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT BELOW TO WIN THE CHRISTMAS PRIZE!)

Tuesday, December 21

Rappin' for Christmas.

Actually no, not that kind of rapping. I mean christmas prezzies.

I've seen various different styles for christmas popping up in my Reader such as:





from this blog

and over on T'nealle's blog she has some wrapping ideas too...

Now, for many years in a row I have been the 'brown paper packages' sort...

This is good, because people just throw away the paper anyway!

Or check out this neat wrapping idea!

But this year I have chosen a 'red and white russian theme' for christmas.
So I am using the candy cane striped paper and have made my own russian doll tags.
You can pick up ribbon really cheap from asian stores, like $2 for a huge roll. I did that and bought some fancier ribbon from Cosi Fan Tutte in Sumner.

Here is the result!











I have printed out some cards too... I *was* going to carve woodblocks and and individually press them, but after doing one wood block I knew I wouldn't have enough time, let alone the right resources. So I whipped these up on the computer instead.
I designed 5 different dolls in total. Their names are christmas related...from L to R: Mary, Holly, Starr, Belle and Christy.



Next post is post 100! And I will be making an exciting christmas giveaway! So get ready!
x

Sunday, December 19

Christmas market stalls!

Last Sat I had a stall at the Craft Collective market, held in Poplar lane. I also had one on Sun at the High Street Street party.

Sat:




I was lucky enough to be next to my friend Brooke, who was selling so many awesome things, mostly for children (My two favourite things were her giant 'go fish' game and colouring in packs. She is very talented!) I was also next to Lucy, from Felt.co.nz. She was great to chat to, and even brought me down a chair!



I sold quite a bit, but sadly no one in Christchurch really pays what the items are worth... One person had told her daughter that $5.oo was too much for a little toy. I was sad to hear that, because it took me hours to make, pattern and all! And wasn't Chinese slave labour... but at that price it was pretty much New Zealand slave labour. Good thing it was a labour of love.

I can't wait to see the day when Christchurch people appreciate local handmade art works.







Sun:

I was setup next to Gerties, and though it was raining, I still had a good time selling things!

Bob Parker (for those who don't know is the Christchurch Mayor) and his wife came by my stall and said hello, but hardly paused long enough to see any of my crafts. A bit rude if you ask me. But at least he was making the effort to leave his penthouse apartment. (Check out his wife's hair-do below!) I'm sad I didn't get a better picture of them...


Now begins the arduous task of uploading the rest of my products to my felt store.

Thank you to everyone who came down and visited, and said nice things/bought things from my stall. You are supporting a great thing :-)
I hope I have lots of new followers of my blog now!

Friday, December 17

Christmas cupcakes


Almost time to put your feet up...with some good food.


Heat oven to 200c!



Here are most of the things you need to make these yummy cupcakes


Sift 3 cups of flour into a bowl


add baking soda (1t)..


and baking powder (2t)


I'm showing off my new measuring spoons...


Add to this some mixed spice (2t) and a pinch of salt (I didn't cause I'm using salted butter)


Mix it all together! Leave it to one side.


Next in a mediumish pot add the following:

dark choc (150g) (I used ghana dark choc, yum)...


then add Instant coffee (1/4c) and boiling water (1c) to the pot too.
Keep stirring on a low heat until it has combined, then take off element to cool.

Next we do the buttery stuff.

Soften butter (200g) DO NOT OVER SOFTEN. It will ruin it. The butter should be on the firmer side of soft, not the nearing melted side. This is important, so the cupcakes are the right consistency. (I freq muck up my softening butter and have to refrigerate/start over it again.) Cream the butter for a good 2 mins.


Next measure out the brown sugar (1 & 1/2c)


Add half to the butter, cream it for 2mins then add the other half creaming for another 2 mins.


Now we add the eggs one at a time... beating for 1min after each addition.


Add 4 eggs in total.

(Why all this mixing? Well we must think of baking as a science. The mixing is important to add the air into the cupcake mix, making sure that the will cook properly and end up light and fluffy. Cupcakes aren't meant to be dense. You may not care, but I do, I'm a perfectionist!)


Now add the vanilla (1t) the mix it in.


Now mix in a 1/3rd of the flour mixture, and beat until combined.


Measure out sour cream (1/2c) and add half of this to the mixture, beating it in.


Repeat these last two steps. Then add the last of the flour, combine it, but don't over mix!


Next pour in the cooled choc mix... fold it in gently. Combine it all, but once again, don't over mix it!


Mmmm yummy.


Put cool cupcake cases in the trays. Depending on the size of your cases it will make varying amounts of cupcakes. Mine filled 36. The cook time will vary slightly as well.


Fill the cases about 2/3rds full.


Cook for 15ish mins. Keep an eye on them, cause they may be ready sooner. The aim is to have them a bit gooey inside still. Take them out of the baking tray as soon as pos, transferring them to a cooling rack.


Once cool, ice them! I made a red butter cream icing and piped it onto the middle of the cakes. (Too much icing can be sickly)
I made some fondant too and cut out wee flower shapes, putting them on top.


Then I dotted some glitter gel in the middle


and added a silver ball to each.


All finished!


I took them around to a christmas party. They tasted sooo good... a perfect mix of christmasy flavours.


You really should try making them!

x
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