I have previously written about the New Zealand Scrapbooking & Craft Expo (SENZ) that is a favourite outing in my crafting year. Last year SENZ had to be cancelled due to COVID Lockdowns so when it was able to be held this year, my friend Steph and I knew we had to support them. There were fewer suppliers and fewer visitors than in previous years but there were still plenty of both and we had a very enjoyable time. I was delighted to find a brand new supplier that I hadn't seen before: Funky … [Read more...]
Homemade Grand Marnier Recipe
If you have enjoyed your own homemade Limoncello then why not try this homemade Grand Marnier recipe. Although it probably won't appease the purists, it does make a very acceptable orange liqueur that I'm sure you will enjoy - and it makes a great gift. It is really easy to make but it does have a long waiting time: 2 months minimum and it gets better with age so give it 6 months if you can bear to wait. You will need: 8-10 oranges (I used navel oranges from my garden) 1 cup sugar 1 … [Read more...]
‘Bottled Glow-worms’ aka Lights in a Bottle
Lights in a bottle is a quick and easy gift to make for friends. They look amazing and always get a good response. Better still, in preparation for making this gift you need to drink a few bottles of wine! Cork Seed Lights are a 2m string of lights connected to a battery pack disguised to look like a cork which fits perfectly in most wine bottles. I bought mine online from The Light Lady. They come in a whole range of different colours: warm white, cool white, red, blue, purple or … [Read more...]
Making Lampshades
For my birthday this year my friend Teresa gave me a lampshade making kit. It's not something I've ever done before but I remember my mother making lampshades when I was a child. But, as you probably know by now, I love to try making all sorts of different things so this was a perfect opportunity to try something new. This kit was for a 20cm diameter lampshade that is 18cm tall from Made Marion Craft in Wellington and came with everything you need to get creating. It had a self-adhesive PVC … [Read more...]
Blueberry Compote Recipe
I love January because it is when my blueberries start to ripen and I can harvest a large basket of berries every week. I do love to just eat them as they are but as it often coincides with other fruit ripening at the same time, I often freeze much of my blueberry harvest so that I can use it during the year. Blueberries couldn't be easier to freeze: just lay them out in a baking tray to free-flow freeze and then tip them into a bag. Then they are ready to use whenever you need them - no need to … [Read more...]
Homemade Raw Cacao Chocolate
An Easter weekend in lockdown seemed like the perfect time to try making chocolate. I had bought a Homemade Raw Cacao Chocolate Kit from Mad Millie when it was on special and had been saving it up to make. The kit comes with everything in it that you need to make 8 bars of dark chocolate - recipe booklet, chocolate moulds, wraps and labels, and of course the ingredients. If you decide to make milk chocolate or some of the other recipes you will need to supply some extra ingredients … [Read more...]
Powertex Wall Art Tui
My brother had his 50th birthday this year and I decided that I wanted to make him a Powertex Wall Art Tui. I have previously made a Powertex Wall Art picture of a wood pigeon for my outdoor space using the Powertex image transfer medium and was looking for a chance to do another one. My brother has paintings with circular centres of native birds and plants and I thought it would be great to make something for his new barbeque area that would tie in with these. I found a wonderful photo … [Read more...]
Making Large Candles
I have posted previously on using The Candle Maker gadget and on my Candle Making Tips that I have learned in making my own candles. This time I wanted to apply those tips to making large candles. I had learned about calculating how much wax I will need for my candles, how much fragrance to use and how to choose the right wick based on the width of the container rather than the height. I learnt that whilst The Candle Maker can only handle enough wax to make a 300ml candle at a time and takes … [Read more...]
Jojoba, Rosehip and Lavender Face Oil Recipe
Jojoba, Rosehip and Lavender Face Oil is my favourite evening moisturizer for face and decolletage (particularly for more mature skins) and it is so easy to make for yourself that I thought I'd share the 'recipe'. All of these oils can be put directly on the skin and have wonderfully healing properties: Jojoba is a fabulous oil that closely resembles human sebum, an oily skin moisturiser produced by the sebaceous glands, and penetrates the skin extremely well. Jojoba comes from the … [Read more...]
Raspberry Gin Recipe
Raspberry Gin! A very simple recipe to make and looks amazing - perfect for gift giving. Wonderful for a deliciously different Christmas cocktail. I enjoyed drinking it with soda water over the summer. You can use frozen raspberries (good if you are clearing out your freezer as I was) and, once made, the raspberry gin keeps indefinitely (if you don't drink it that is). You can use any gin for the recipe; I used some of my homemade gin. 700 ml gin 250g raspberries 125g caster sugar Put … [Read more...]
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