A birthday and two recipes

Another family birthday this week and I thought I would make it a practical gift this time.  I found this cook's gift idea in one of my Susan Branch books - an old mixing bowl filled with the ingredients and recipe for Cranberry Apple Crisp.  Well I'd been on the lookout for a suitable bowl for weeks but when time started running out I decided had to buy new and found this blue Melamine bowl at our local Ironmongers.  It was just the right size, very practical - and a bit 50s in style to my mind.

The card is a steal from Cristina's fabulous project and I added my felt leaf pin as an extra little gift. 

Sadly the clocks went back last night and it feels like the end of the summer all over again. Only 2 days ago I was digging up my tomato plants and now have a large bowl of small  red, orange and green tomatoes that I hope will all ripen to red over the next week or so. And I'd like to share this delicious tomato recipe I've used quite a few times since the tomatoes started ripening - its quick, easy, tasty - and just the thing for a glut of cherry tomatoes. You can watch Lorraine Pascale making her Tomato Basil Tarte Tatin here on Youtube.

Lastly just have to post this photo of the garden robin who hops around when I'm digging.  He/she keeps an eye out for any tasty morsels my fork uncovers and enjoyed quite a few while I was digging up the tomatoes and putting in my onion sets on Friday. 

Papertrey October Blog Hop

If its October its got to be pumpkins, witches and trick or treat - although trick or treat is a very new idea here in the UK. But I have to admit that I absolutely love the shape and colour of pumpkins and have a few favourite Papertrey Ink pumpkin images in my collection.  I used them to make small trick or treat gifts for some of the younger family members who are really looking forward to the 31st.

And I'm looking forward to the Papertrey blog hop tonight. Its always inspiring to see what other PTI addicts have been making and of course I want to join in and offer my treats - especially the pumpkins ones! The lunch box die is perfect as a treat holder and I purchased some fun-size (don't know why they call them fun size - a larger size would be much more fun!) chocolate buttons and bars that fitted in nicely.

My lovely blog friend Theresa is currently holding a Halloween blog party with a giveaway and she wants to know our favourite Halloween memories.  Well, as I said, we don't really have a tradition of celebrating on Halloween here in the UK but I do have a little pottery witch I bring out every October.  She sits on my mantelpiece until its time to put up the Christmas decorations, so to me she is the very beginning of the Christmas crafty season.  I remember buying her at one of those bargain basement stores many years ago.  When my son was small he and I used to go with my Mum and Dad on Saturday shopping trips and on this trip Mum and I both bought a witch - Dad thought we were daft, but I've loved her ever since.  She has decorated my October mantelpiece for at least the last 35 years and is a happy reminder of long ago shopping trips with my parents.

Oh, and I've two blog posts today.  If you are curious to find out what constitutes a good Sunday afternoon outing here in Wales, scroll down and take a look!



Supplies: all PTI -  Lunch Box Note die, Limitless Layers die collection, Tag-Its stamp sets #2 & #7, Friendship Jar Fall Fillers, Autumn Tags 2009

Tractors and chips

I wonder what passes for a Sunday afternoon outing where you are?  I work until 2.00pm on Sundays but as the local Vintage Machinery Show and Threshing Demonstration last week was only down the road, I was able to fit it in.

It was a beautiful day with the sun shining on the hills behind and the old cars, tractors, trucks, motorcycles and farm machinery made a colourful picture. My  readers in the US might be interested to learn that the green tractor on the right found its way to North Wales all the way from Ohio!



The event was held at our local mart (cattle market) and as you can imagine, as a vegetarian its not somewhere I frequent too often but more and more local events seem to have been held there recently, including the summer Flower Show, Bonfire Night Fireworks Display and various vintage, horse and pony shows and sales.

I don't know how long these men had spent feeding this old threshing machine, but they were at it the whole time we were there and I hope they had been able to fit in a break at the market cafe as we did!

Double egg and chips with a mug of tea was just the job after my exhausting shift at the small hotel where I am housekeeper/maid of all work three days a week! I haven't eaten at the market cafe before and although you certainly couldn't call the decor luxurious or stylish, the food was fresh, simple and delicious.  Maybe not what I should eat every day, but I don't think once in a while will hurt.  I don't make chips at home and they are always a treat.



And it was most enjoyable watching the old farmers enjoying a cuppa and a good old gossip.

There were a few stalls selling bits and bobs and I was lucky enough to pick up an old wooden embroidery frame and some vintage button cards - and I was sorely tempted by this old homemade child's sledge...... but where would I put it!  Though later I did think it might have been a good addition to my stall at the next craft fair - which will no doubt be very Christmas orientated.  Oh well, too late now!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree....

We had another glorious warm and sunny day here today, but when I should have been planting my onion sets in the garden, I was making these Christmas tree decorations instead. There are only two craft fairs before December 25th and the next one is on Saturday! I really haven't made enough stock yet so had to forfeit the good weather and get down to it.

Today it was tree decorations. Again I've used Erin's cereal packet idea and Papertrey Ink stamps and dies. As the die cuts need to be seen from both sides I found two layers of cereal packet plus the two stamped cardstock layers is enough to create quite a sturdy ornament.  

The angel is from the Love Lives Here Holiday set. She comes without a face but I just couldn't bring myself to leave her without features and added a few pen strokes to give her a bit of character.  I've varied the set of her wings to make each angel different and added a punched circle of velum to represent a halo. I also made little trees, bells, bird houses and stocking and mitten tags.

I did manage to get a bit of time in the garden before the sun dipped below the horizon.  I decided I should photograph the decorations hanging in our very own real Christmas tree. One year we had a rooted tree and my Dad planted it in the garden after Christmas. This must have been more than 25 years ago now and the tree has grown into the perfect shape and is about 15 feet tall. If it was in the front garden we could put lights up but its too far from the house to run an electric cable - perhaps I could try solar lights this year.

Supplies: Papertrey Ink Love Lives Here, Love Lives Here Holiday, Bells & Boughs plus the matching die sets and Limitless Layers

Just a little something

I've really taken to Erin Lincoln's idea of re-using cereal box-type card and die cuts to make small chipboard accents or decorations. It appeals to my fondness for recycling and for fiddling about with bits of card, stamps and ink. So I'm scrutinising everything I put in my recycling box at the moment in case its suitable for running through my long suffering Cuttlebug.

I'm in the middle of Christmas tree decorations at the moment but also thought these little chipboard shapes could be perfect small 'thank you' tokens to fit inside the PTI lunchbox note. This one is to go with one of my lavender scented hanging birds sold from my Folksy shop today. I'm going to enjoy trying out other shapes.

The vintage sewing machine on the front of the note is another old letterpress block I acquired recently. Its just right to accompany a sewn item.

Supplies: Papertrey Ink: Lunch Box Note die; Heart Prints stamp set and matching dies; Limitless Layers dies 

Bert Jansch, 1943 - 5th October 2011

I've been listening to Bert and The Pentangle since the 1960s and created this digital scrapbook page after we'd been to see the band in concert at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall in July 2008.  I made my own digital elements by scanning the concert programme and our tickets and saving them as PNG files.  Then it was easy to resize them to fit on my page.  A souvenir of a great night!  And so sad to think we won't see all the band together again.

RIP Bert xx

DIY Washi Tape

Another great creative idea from Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday challenge this week - make your own Washi tape from stamps, double sided sticky tape and tissue paper. That Nichole is SO clever!

I was asked to make a 'congratulations on passing your driving test' card in a hurry this week (did no one think she would pass!!) so took the opportunity to enter the MIM challenge again. I did have a roll of 1" wide tape but its a pretty cheap make and wasn't easy to use but I'm fairly happy with the result. A roll of good quality tape would make the job easier next time I think.

And I might also have found it easier if my cat Sausage hadn't decided he wanted to sit just here in the middle of my desk! Poor Sausage lost his sight this year so he's become a little spoilt and I tend to let him do what he likes now - especially as he has to be locked in the house at night and when I'm at work to stop him getting lost or knocked down.

Supplies: Papertrey Ink: Enjoy the Ride stamp set and die; Waltzing Mouse Stamps: Off Beat Backgrounds