Craft Review: Weeks 29 & 30: Sunday 8th July - Saturday 21st July

Well, the last two weeks have been a bit hectic.... But don't worry! I have a planned tutorial coming up, and I plan to start my Christmas cards, and making things for a Christmas fair... So, it should all be good!

But, here's what I've been up to over the last two weeks...

I made a simple envelope red cushion cover, I'm just adding the finishing touches now...

I made a card for corresponding with my friend up in Yorkshire... I far prefer sending post as opposed to sending e-mails... as it generally means that they have to reply using post as well. Which is good, as I like getting mail. Plus,this is actually a stamp that she gave me for my birthday,so I thought it would be a good idea to send her one of its products...

This is a very bad photo of another square for my Harry Potter blanket. It's the Sorting hat, or supposedly. It's a very dark brown, so it doesn't show up very well.... I hope to get some more squares done at some point...

Here is a ruffle flower brooch in teal... I found some glittery net, which I'd forgotten about, and I thought this was the perfect project.... a little bit of prettiness

I then started to make a Weasley jumper Decoration for my Mum..... I just need to sew on the other sleeve, and a loop to hang it from....This is hopefully for the beginning of advent, as a pre-Christmas present. I also plan to do one for my sister... Hers will be in a horrid shade of fuchsia pink...

Then over the last week, I had lots of fun painting my room... It's ok, but I thought it would be paler... But it's ok... Photos to follow at a later date when I have sorted out the carnage left behind...

And then, on Saturday, I took the train dressed as a Hermione Granger look-alike for the launch of the summer reading challenge at the library where I volunteer.

Always fun to watch the confused faces of other passengers..

If I could, I would..... Watch all of the Harry Potter Films in one sitting

..... but that would take two days, my optician does not adviselong periods of screen watching, and I constantly fear eye strain.

Yet, me and my best friend are planning it anyway.

(we've already done the extended editions of LotR)

Also, quick note on my front: I'm re-decorating my room, so my camera is currently buried somewhere, as is the cable, under a dust sheet. Mind you, so are most things...

Anywho, what I'm trying to say is, apologies for lack of posting...

Silver DofE - Completed

DofE - Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Basically, the award is for character building in young people between the ages of 14 and 24. There are 4 sections: Physical, Volunteering, Skill and Expedition. The first three have a set time that you must partake in for one hour per week, the latter is a set route and distance that one must walk and camp for.

I completed my Bronze award last year, which included: 3 months of Volunteering - I ran a sports club at a local school; 3 months of Skill - Playing my cello; 6 months of Physical - I did Archery. The Expeditions were 2 days long and between them we walked 15 km.

Not too bad...

Silver I eventually ended up calling Hell.

6 months of Volunteering.

6 months of Skill.

3 months of Physical.

3 Day expedition, now with HILLS, walking 30 km over the days.

Blergh.

What made things worse was that all through the expedition it rained, and it never stopped. School tents leak, waterproofs have a limit to how waterproof they are and it was cold.I didn't like it to say the least. I hated it.

But, the good news is, County have just approved and signed me off - I never have to do it again! And for that I am truly grateful. I now dread any mention of  the peak district,or hiking carrying 30 kg on my back, or any mumbling of the word 'camping'. Never. Again.

I lived in this hat for the entirety of the silver expedition. It's warm, doesn't fall off and vaguely waterproof.

I volunteered at the library for the summer Reading Challenge. The theme was circus. This meant I had to dress up like an idiot and take the train...

The Green ande purple thing in the background? Yeah I took the train like that.....

But as I said-good thing, I never have to do it again!

If I could, I would..... Wear Bright Red Lipstick

.....but I'm not brave enough. Plus, it's one I stole off Mum and she would notice....

Recipe: Choclate Cake

This is an alteration of a cake by St. Delia. Not for the faint- hearted.

Cake

110g Self Raising Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

110g soft butter

110g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla essence

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

50g melted dark chocolate

Chocolate Butter cream

100g melted dark chocolate

100g softened butter

120g icing sugar

80g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

White Chocolate Chunks to decorate

Grease and line 2 18cm tins. Turn on the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a large bowl, mix all of the cake ingredients together until everything is combined. I suggest using an electric whisk.

Divide into 2 and spread equally between each tin. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. When time, takeout of the oven, remove frostiness and place on a wire rack to cool.

 

 

For the butter cream, use the electric whisk again to combine all ingredients together.

 

 

Spread butter cream equally, first for between the sponges, and then for the topping. Onto both,sprinkle a generous handful of white chocolate chunks.

Tada!

Yummy!

Oh, the knitted-ness is not my work - our local church gave it to us!

Craft Review: Week 28: Sunday 1st July - Saturday 7th July

A pretty boring week, at least, not one that I want to think about.

I made a skirt! Intermittently.... I still need to hem it...
It looks like a WWII Schoolgirl, no?

I began to 'de-clutter' my room (aka, moving junk from one corner of the room to another).

 The tennis was ok, but in both of the finals, the one I rooted for did not win...

Source

I made some cheese straws....

And then I went to prom for what I would call a mediocre time, and not really worth the bribe of ice cream.

And, on top of it all, I've lost my camera lead.
*Update: I stole one from the cable drawer.I don't even know what it's meant to belong to....*

So yeah. It's been a bad week for me.

Wow, I even sound depressed in writing.....

Craft Review: Week 27: Sunday 24th July- Saturday 30th July

Here we go... Another week gone by... ah, shame. This week though, mother started leaving me jobs and chores to do.... I've put the washing on now so many times, it's unbelievable! But here is what I managed to squeeze in in my spare time...

Lovely little Radar.... You've seen him before....

This Egyptian Eye-Thing Painting for my sister (she's the one who knows too much about the Egyptians, I have absolutely no clue. I just typed something into google and this idea came up)

It's painted with both acrylics and watercolours,and I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

I also painted my mama this lily. Lily's are her favourite  flower, and I can understand why.I had a bit of trouble trying to decide how to outline the petals, but I settled on silver ink pen. It looks ok, doesn't it?
Painting in acrylic and watercolour,with pen as well.

I also knitted a few more rows of my Ravenclaw scarf, took some photographs, and made some lovely cookies from a recipe on DeerLittleFawn's blog. Recipe here. I definitely recommend them, my friends devoured them in seconds. Seal of approval, I'd say!

Toodle Pip!