Book bag...

Here is just a quick post to show you what I've been up to, apart from my general busyness and super procrastination skills...

A friend of mine carries her bible around in her handbag when she has to take the bus and long subway ride to church every Sunday. She has been putting it in a zipper packet so that it doesn't get damaged. So I made her this book bag. Let's pretend it was because I was being nice, but I was actually looking for excuses to take out my new machine.

(I didn't have her bible with me, hence the Novel :)

The flower is a new spring edition to the family - In Afrikaans we call it a Krismisroos and it makes me think of my Gran - she has always had tons of these in her garden. (sorry about the bad lighting)

I hope you are having a gRRRReat week so far.

Fabric Giveaway...

The fabric giveaway is over ㅠ.ㅠ(Korean, crying man)
This is very last minute - but you still have a few hours to win some fabric. (I just found the link a few moments ago - so here is me spreading the love)

To enter go and take a look at:

Wildflowers & Whimsy: Skye Reve Fabric Giveaway

This fabric bundle is called 'sweet nothings' and comes from: Skye reve fabrics

Hope you see this in time to enter :)

Monday Inspirations

Sewing:
I have to admit that I never thought I would say this, but... I am thinking of making a quilt. I wouldn't say that I don't like quilts. Just that I haven't seen many that I did like. Or maybe I just haven't been exposed enough to the world of quilting. So I'm trying to get educated.
Here is a link to a few quilting tutorials on tipnut that I am working through on my road to creating my absolutely magnificent piece of art (which is not even in concept phase yet.) If you have any wisdom or tips or links to add, please feel free to do this. All help is not just welcome but desperately needed.


Cooking/baking:

I am slightly obsessed with decorating cookies at the moment (I haven't decorated any myself, yet - I'm still waiting for an order of colouring) BUT beware when I start, get ready to eat my cookie dust. 
Here is a cookie decorating tutorial for you for this week, from Sweetopia.

Happy Monday!

Monday Inspirations

Cooking/Baking:

Today's cooking inspiration feels to me like a REVELATION! I have been moaning about fondant for a few years now - how it looks so pretty on cakes but I DEFINITELY don't want to eat it, it tastes gross, and therefore I have also never wanted to make it
. Darla from my bakingdom has made my week and covered it in happiness. She has taken the marshmellow fondant recipe and made it gooooood.

Here is the recipe for the marshmellow fondant.

Sewing:

Today's blog is quite season appropriate. And since this season has taken its sweet old time to come to Korea, I think its only fair that I harp on it for a while...Bear with me...

Bloom has some good tutorials. I liked this one in particular:

tutorial

I have a thing for journals. I like writing down my conversations with God, not because He forgets what I've told Him, but rather because I forget, and then I miss the things that He is doing around me. I ALSO like buying plain notebooks and doing something with the cover, to inspire me to actually write in the journal - when I eventually get back to SA I might just dig them all up and do a blog post about it.

Happy Monday!

Oh HAPPY DAY!

I have been avoiding the issue (that I don't have a functional sewing machine) for a few months now. Which has resulted in me having to partake in patience classes by doing a lot of hand sewing.  

BUT on Saturday my wonderful friend Karin took me sewing machine shopping.  I was looking for a second hand sewing machine (because I will have to leave it in Korea when we eventually move back to South Africa) but neither of us knew how to say 'used' in Korean. After 30 min of charades and us repeatedly saying the word 'used' to the shop owner, and him saying the word 'joong-go' everytime we pointed at a machine that looked oldish, we tried good old google translate. And then we found out that used and joong-go were one and the same... AND so this wonderful outing resulted in me obtaining a new friend. Let me introduce you, this is Grace. (My husband names his guitars so I think its only right that I name my sewing machine :)

Over the past few days Grace has helped me to attack my pile of 'clothes that need to be fixed' and make a quick baby bib. I have been wanting to try out applique for a while and I have wanted to make a bib for about a year now (once again not for me). So here is my first attempt at both:

Not perfect but give me some time - I'll get there...

Oh and the little guy wanting a carrot is called Sumbunny.You will see more of him in the future.

Monday inspirations

Cooking/baking:

My choice of today's inspirational cooking/baking blog was totally determined by the cuteness factor. Bakerella made these Coraline Cookies and because I love buttons, you have to understand how happy EDIBLE buttons make me feel...

On the note of Bakerella - please keep her in your prayers. She is currently waiting for a kidney transplant. If you want to be updated, just check out her blog.

Sewing: 

My sewing inspiration is ever so slightly influenced by my current 'Korean' situation - we have very few chairs in our apartment, not because Koreans don't use chairs but because we can't be bothered to buy expensive chairs if we are not going to live here long term. So I found this tutorial on Cluck. Cluck. Sew and thought it would be perfect to make bigger versions of these as extra seating options. Have a look at the tutorial.

 Happy Monday!

Flowery goodness

I'm super excited about this post - I've always wanted to try this - didn't think I would get it right first time, but TADA!!

And if I can do it SO CAN YOU :)

  This tutorial is more about the decoration than the cake - but here is where I found my recipe for the chocolate cake. And here is the vanilla frosting recipe.

Monday inspirations

Sewing: 

 Craft snob has roped in retro mama (I LOVE her stuff) to do a four part sewing 101 (she started last week).  So if you are like me and could use all the help you can get - go and have a look!

Cooking:

I have spent the past hour looking through evil shenanigans and I now need to get some paper towels to wipe up the large puddle of drool that has collected on my desk.

There are loads of amazing baking and cooking recipes.

 Below is a Black and white gooey butter cake (just the name generates saliva)

and I had to add this ... gooey chocolate coconut bars (maybe I just like the word gooey)

(for those of us in Korea a few substitutes/different brands are in order - but almost everything, except the almond extract,is available at home plus.)

I'm going home to make something gooey now...

Happy Monday!