Quick Christmas / Party Garlands.... to make!

 One of the lovely things about this quick and easy garland is, you can make it as a family. Anything that gets cut up and can fit through a sewing machine, can be sewn into this garland.

Even fat handed burly men can join in this activity!

Just cut up any scraps you have around: Felt, fabrics, ribbons, lace.... i tied a few bells onto ribbons to add to the pile of scraps.

 I pre-iron my shop bought Bias Bind and then just keep adding random additions to the bind - with a small gap between each. The gap doesn't have to be uniform at all....nothing about this garland needs to be uniform or precise. It is probably best if you just allow your children to hand you whatever they feel should go on next as that childhood chaos is usually more creative than our own adult restrictiveness. 

 I measured this length to fit a particular space i had in mund for my home festivities but you can just make it any length and hang it where you feel it fits.

Also - you can colour theme it, if you are having a special 'colour theme' Xmas?

I made this garland with anything i had in my studio and i have since decided to save it for a Spring Party. And, now i know this garland works and looks ace, i am making red and white for my Christmas Dining Area.

 It is a poor photo - i was too eager to show you how it looked to wait for better light. But.... i love it!

You can buy awesome handmade Bias from here

I have used this for another project and i love it.

 I also plan to stock a little bit of Bias in BigFish - but not much and not as lovely as the above stuff.

 NeedleBooks are being replenished and i hope to have a big fat stack of new designs ready for January. Feel free to suggest any designs that you think would be popular. I tend to go all girly and Matroyshka-like... i need to break habits for 2011.

 And Fabric Yearning, mmmm....

Loving the Cath Kidston stash *strokes it* gorgeous plans for some huge floor cushions for my daughters bedroom... some bunting.... maybe some bags.....

I am full of ideas and inspiration for 2011.

I have loved the Christmas Retail rush (now it is over for me) sold out of most decorations and Christmas Bunting.  Just enough time to sew some awesome gifts for my family.

No rest for the (super) wicked xxx

make a garland.....!

Sometimes people let you down...

My LittleFish and I were disappointed that someone we were expecting for dinner - didn't bother to come.

That level of disappointment can be hard to stomach. The joy, anticipation, preparation, looking forward to... 'gone' in that briefest moment when you realise 'it's just us'.

But HEY! it isn't 'just us'. it IS US!! so what do the Fishes do in this situation? why we get Mamma's favourite tea cups out and make tea.  

I'm not that great with words, but it sorted of lifted us straight out of that melancholic tinge. All of a sudden the slow mouthed dinner was transformed into something teetering between ceremony and party! In that teacup moment, i swear, our downturned faces slipped into smiles and everything seemed just that touch brighter.

Resourceful Mamma found 2 halves of a Milky Way, tucked away in the back of a "party paraphenalia" box and Joy! they were still in their UseBy date...

We had forgotten to open the parcel left outside the back door (in our haste to make dinner for the special guest that never came) so we sat with our tea and sickly sweet confectionary and opened the parcel....

The spontaneity of enjoyment and sugar was enough to make us feel like a Circus had fallen out of the packet. It was little vintage tins but it felt like clowns juggling on a tightrope, pulling gargoyle faces...

The special guest didn't seem so special any more. LittleFish was happy and replete. MammaFish felt suitably sustained, like the sky wasn't 'always cloudy' and all those grey day feelings would eventually give way to some sunshine.

It was just tea cups. It was just tea in pretty cups, sat on matching saucers. It could have been the world on a plate, for that's how we felt in our moment.

...because i found a spare 5 minutes in my day...

Herby Shallots pickled in Balsamic Vinegar...
Yes, i did have a few spare minutes to whip this jar of pickles up. It's no hassle my time-keeping friends. I was at home yesterday anyhow - putting 7 loads of washing through the washing machine >>>washing line > >>back upstairs 'routine' (long story involving sick child and many washed duvets and bed linens)
Let me BEGIN by clearly stating, i don't think this is the very 'best' use of a bottle of expensive Balsamic vinegar...! I am not made of money but i had 2 un-opened bottles from Christmas gift sets so this seemed like a fine use for 1 of those spare bottles... So... about 500g (when peeled) of the smallest shallots i could find
250ml Balsamic vinegar
2 large teaspoons brown sugar
A few sprigs of Thyme
(I am not a huge Thyme fan. I have a large bush of the stuff but don't use it a great deal as it isn't to my tastes but i think it will suit these pickles)
A few twigs of Rosemary (LOVE this stuff - i have so much to tell you about Rosemary...)

Bung it all in a large heavy based saucepan>>> this is my BIG pan 'for all culinary occasions' everything gets cooked in here and it wasn't expensive...

Simmer for about 30mins till the onions are tender but still with a crunch to them - not all soft and saggy.

...Cool them off.

Pour into a Kilner Jar (or whatever you're using) i always sterilize my jars. I put the rubber rings into boiling water. I wash the whole jar in hot soapy water. I then put them in the warm oven for about 20mins.

I have only made this one jar with these ingredients.

Now it is sealed and i'm going to put it in the back of my cupboard for a month or two before opening at some impromtu family food gathering (of which there are many in my family!)

I worry they'll be quite over powering having just used the Balsamic vinegar but i imagine the brown sugar will ofset that.

Next time i will add Coriander seeds and Black Peppercorns too....

meet my mother...

...we begun to wonder whether Grandma's new carrot diet really was the best thing for her...? Bless.
It wasn't even Easter Day x

An Ordinary Day...

Some days are lovely, but quite like any other...It started to look good when BIGGERMummyFish and SisterFish popped over to share a pot of fresh coffee and freshly baked LemonChoc Biscotti (inspired by this lady)

The dog was outside enjoying the wamest Spring sunshine...

The beautiful child was outside enjoying the warmest Spring sunshine....

The beautiful child was outside enjoying the novelty of having Mummy's digital camera...

(we title the above frame "Dead Cow")

I might title this photo "Mad Cow" x

I love her photography skills!

And this pot of blooms was planted out for me as a birthday gift last week - it has just 'bloomed' and it brightens my garden no end.

Just an ordinary day, in the extra-ordinary life, of little ole me and my folks x

Why i love Nigella x

My beloved 'Nigella' (Lawson - the TV personality and Recipe Book writer for the Un-initiated)
She gets a bad press by some but i want to tell you why i love her...
My Christmas Party - held yesterday - at my house, i sooo wish you all could have come. Nigella made hosting a small Christmas gathering SO much pleasure.

Mini Christmas pudding truffles, individually decorated by my sister, my daughter, my man and me. So much fun and they look gorgeous x a crafters dream cookery project. MMMmmm licking the chocolate bowl (even the dog got in on this action)

Peanut Butter mini-cupckaes x my younger Sister (BabyFish) has just returned from 12 Months travelling the world. What better way to catch up than spending the afternoon on cups of tea and making chocolates from Nigella's Christmas Book? It was pure JOY.

BabyFish fiddling with the mini-holly decoration on 48 individual puddings. I don't care if Nigella pouts at the camera or *eats cold left-overs during a nightine fridge raid* (or only does that for the camera)

Nigella doesn't make me feel inadequate or envious. She is a joy to watch and her books are a joy to cook and bake from. I love to feed my family and my friends and Nigella knows really that the 'event' and the people are far more important than the food.

Drinking, eating, talking, laughing, creating... these are things that i see Nigella promoting and these are the things that make me happy too.

Nigella's Christmas Chutney.... mmmmm x she maybe very Middle-class, she even be Upper-class, i don't really know. I just love her class-i-ness.

My friend MrsB really does get the bus or walk to her supermarket WITH 2 babies under 3 and she cooks and entertains Nigella with so much style! (Click HERE to see MrsB loving Nigella)

Dressing the table in OOOodddles of my Christmas crockery all thrifted and Sale found throughout the years.

SO, Merry Christmas!

Don't *hate* Nigella x love her for what she stands for...

Camp creativity, eating, taking life with a pinch of sugar, entertaining, eating, laughing, creating and generally putting in a little bit more effort than your local McDonalds could offer.

Cheers x