Merrel the Merritt 158

Meet Merrel the Merritt 158 Italian Sewing machine.  Took a little bit of faffing but now she works fine I just dont have the right thread as all I have is very weak ones.  Anyway SHE works!!!  She came from my mother in-law who used it about 20 years ago to make curtains or something and she gave it to me.  Thankyouuuu!  Notice how healthy I am with my pinapple and orange juice (and a sneaky copy of the latest Mollie makes too).

Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins

 

Yesterday I scrubbed my kitchen and organised it.  I meant to take photos but I completely forgot.  Had all the cupboards out and cleaned them all.  And then I realised I had some Juvela  Harvest White Flour Mix and I haven’t tried any of the trial products they’ve sent me other than the fibre penne which is really nice.  So cake?  What’s in the fridge?  Butternut Squash.  So Butternut Squash spiced buns.  And they’ve turned out really nice!  I think next time I would do it the same way as my old pumpkin cake recipe with some honey in it, rather than following one online and substituting the flour.  Still yummy though.

Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins

225g (8 oz) peeled, seeded and diced butternut squash 

200g (7 oz) plain flour

1 dessertspoon baking powder 

200g (4 oz) caster sugar 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 

175ml (6 fl oz) semi skimmed milk 

1 egg, beaten 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.  Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas mark 6. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cases.

2.  In a medium saucepan with enough water to cover, boil squash 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, drain, and purée in a food processor.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices.

4.  In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together milk, egg and oil. Stir in squash. Fold the squash mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.

5.  Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups about 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a cocktail stick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

Blaze Farm

Got the photos now so I can spread the love.  A while ago I bought a Remington type writer from Ebay and it was a pick up from a farm in Macclesfield.  And it turned out it was a very famous icecream farm called Blaze farm.  So heres some pictures from that day out!  It was a gorgeous if ever so slightly nippy that day.  They even had a petting zoo with the most beautiful cat sleeping in the hay for the newly born calves.

Lilblueboo's Sock Bunnies

 Oh dear.  I think I've fallen in love with these bunnies.  I have eczema on my legs so I dont wear my long socks anymore and it would be a perfect excuse to upcycle them!

Hall Spring Clean

Moving onto my hall way now.  You may wonder why there is an old tattered box on the top shelf.  That is one of the many places where the cat likes to sleep.

Before

 

After

 

Bathroom Spring Clean

I haven’t had a camera cable for a while but even though I've had a slight UTI I've tried to start to organize my flat.  It’s small and cosy and I think its time that I organize and decorate even though it’s only a rental.  I actually remembered to take a before and after shot I've done my bathroom and my hall.  Bathroom first.  It’s kind of hard to clean when you constantly have a cat under your feet.  Basically I've binned all the empty and things that I haven’t used for ages.  I put a first aid kit together too.  The towels on the shelf have inadvertently made a new cat bed.  She’ll sit there after baths and showers and fall asleep in the warmth.

Before

After

 

Vinyl Record Dish

I've always wanted to do this!  I've been collecting vinyl records to make boxes with. And I thought why not I've seen it done and it’s pretty cool. So I did.  Here’s a wikiHow on how to make one!  I used a star shaped bowl to mould it.  Kitty thought it was tasty.

Crocheted Bracelets

I don’t usually wear things on my wrist as on one arm I have bad eczema and on the other I have a full forearm tattoo I don’t like having covered up as it has emotional significance.  Anyway I have some old metal and wooden bracelets, which I just got bored of and I saw this tutorial.  I decided to do it and it’s so easy I've started crocheting around absolutely everything.  Someone even asked if I could do it to one of those plastic charity ones.  Turns out I can.  I'm planning on doing around the poles of the shelving in the front room.  These ones that I've made cover my eczema and I don’t scratch it.  So good.

Charlotte Tyrannosaurus Rex

Charlotte Tyrannosaurus Rex.  For some bizarre reason this came out like a 3rd of the size of the actual pattern from this book (that I will try and review soon).  I named it after a friend who likes to put his middle name as Tyrannosauruss on facebook.

E and D's presents

Meet my Mister Zebra and Missus Sea Horse.  A present each for my niece and nephew in Australia.  Made ages~ ago and I haven’t posted them yet (oops) I’ll try to do it this weekend when I send off my eBay items.

Mister Zebra for D.

 Missus Seahorse for E.

Grandmothers Birthday Bunny

I feel okay putting this up here early as its a present for my Grandmother.  Unless something insane happens I very much doubt that she will see this.  The plan was to make a little apron and a basket for it but that has yet to happen.  Going to be posting a few more of my creations.

AdelynStone's Mud Scrub Revisited

 

 

So I tried out AdelynStone's Mud Scrub last night.  And I have to say it was really *really* amazing.  I made it with peppermint oil and it was amazing.  I definitely would recommend it!  In the past however when I've made sugar scrubs in the past I have mixed it with honey and not oil.  It has a tendency to separate a little but it’s still good.  I used a veggie oil for mine last night and found it really slick and not amazingly nice so I'm going to try it with either an almond oil (which is good for mixing with essential oils and to massage with) or honey.  Today when I woke up my skin feels so soft and exfoliated.  More importantly for me, I suffer from bad eczema all over my shoulders.  I got C to give me a proper scrub all over my back and I wasn’t itchy all night with is a miracle! Only a little scratchy tonight but that’s an improvement!!!  I’d definitely make it as a gift for a coffee lover too!

Not Quite Nigella's Creme Brulee Fudge

Not Quite Nigella Creme's Brulee Fudge

Oh my.  I think I just chocked myself on drool.  These look absolutely amazing!  And sooo easy to make too.  I think I may just have to add a sugar thermometer to my birthday wish list.  When I was at the in-laws once we went to a resturant that did a lavander Creme Brulee I wonder if it would work with this?

Steampunk inspired crochet monster

Inspired by a pattern from [Monsters!], this little steampunk fella took me about half a day with a 4mm hook.  Though the oldy brown buttons from my grandmothers button box would give it a Victorian feel and the metal bits are *supposed* to be either guns or gun holsters.  I thought the lop sided grin was kinda cute too.

Samantha Thorley Textile Designs

Today I'm sharing a FB blog type thing of a very good friend of mine.  Shes forever sharing her beautiful creations and shinannigans here.  She's a talanted seamstress, knitter and friend.

Photography : 001

For the majority of the last ten years I have been a member of deviantART and I have decided that my photos will slowly migrate over to here and I shall share with you my latest creations from when the Manchester Steampunk Cottonopolis Coglective went to the neighbouring city of Ashton to visit the Portland basin Museum.  Filled with many pretty vintage and victorian things.