pinterest parties

i had some friends round for drinks and a pamper party this weekend. i had a good look through pinterest for ideas and as always it didn't disappoint. i got a great idea for gin cocktails using herbs and edible flowers. they looked and tasted amazing... i froze the edible flowers {i used pansies, viola and flox} in ice cubes, for best results i found cooled boiled water worked best and i froze the cubes in two parts so the flowers floated. the cocktail itself was a shot of hendricks gin, a shot of elderflower gin, a tea spoon of rose essence and a sprig of thyme. oh, and some tonic! if you dont have elderflower gin then there is a lovely elderflower tonic that would work just as well...

and then there was the birthday party for the five year old! can leave out the preparations for that one!

the safari passes were printables i found online and the binoculars were toilet rolls with animal print duct tape wrapped around. pretty basic stuff!

the pinata was bought ~ i thought about making one but really time ran away from me and a trip to tescos ticked that off the list!

 

the cake i made with two batches of batter, one white and one chocolate... then i layered the batter in dollops one on top of the other to make the stripes in side the cake.

the party favours were just old jars that i collected from friends, i glued an animal to the lid and painted it then i filled them with the crayons ~ i had thought about sweeties or marshmallows... but thought there was enough sweet treats going around!

my favourite part was making the crayons... i have done this before here but this time i got to use lego moulds! and i love lego! who doesn't? so i collected all the crayon ends i could find... i even begged some from friends and family {i had a lot of jars to fill!} and melted them down... it was like i was making a miniature army! and they turned out better than i had hoped

 

i had plenty of games planned including the usual musical statues and musical bumps... but had to find a use for the binoculars... so we went on an elephant hunt to find dung! this was just flour, water and some old coffee grounds formed to make a dough, i then hid an insect inside {toy insect!} and baked them in the oven for ten minutes...the kids then went on a hunt to find them in the garden {luckily the weather was nice!} and cracked them open to see what was inside! fun.

buttons and booties

last christmas i decided to be more crafty and make all gifts for friends and family. i have lovely long evenings to fill now that the wee folk of my life sleep all night! so the sewing machine got dusted off and there has been no stopping me since! there has been leg warmers, lavender hand warmers, crayon rolls, mug warmers, cross stitch samplers, soft toys and badges... not to mention hand stamped and printed greetings cards and tags!

i love it! it's birthday season now and we kicked off with some shiny and glittery play dough and another crayon roll! we have three parties this week so have cheated by buying some sticker books but plan to get some more creations made and ready for the next party!

knitting nights

so the little folk are currently sleeping 7-7 {or there abouts} and husband and i have reclaimed our evenings! 

wandering what to do with myself, instead of watching big brother or getting re hooked onto home and away... i have taken on a knitting challenge! 

about a month or so ago i found ravelry... then i found these go-veralls and promptly fell head over heels... well, bit of an exaggeration there... but they are d'lish.

so i bought some wool and a some circular needles and hey presto we have two legs -

 will post an update as they 'grow' but i am super excited to get the wee guy in these... not too girly right??

dolls house... to be continued!

i am starting a work in progress blog post... about my daughters dolls house! it was her 'most favouritist' christmas present and we decided that as soon as the weather improves we would all decorate it together. cripes. i can hardly wait!

so this is the dolls house as it is -

i have found so many inspirational projects online but must be mindful not to make this about me! i am pretty sure poppy is going to have a ball decorating this house and i must detach myself and relax enough not to get all control-y! hmmm, unless i do it when she is in bed as a surprise for her!?!? eek.