birthday :: goodie bags

With a serious nod to Sally Shim and her brilliant packaging and fabulous birthday parties she gives her boys, I give you the goodie bags I came up with for Tiggy's non-Ben 10 party.

goodie bags

Tigs loves Ben 10, and would quite like to change his name at the moment.

I cannot bring myself to buy Licensed products. He does have a pair of silky ‘jammie shorts but they are not to leave the house, ever, until they go to the tip!! I don’t feel mean about it, it’s just me and my aesthetic. He’s my child so he gets what I think is okay!

sidewalk chalks for the babies

stationery set

For those who have managed to escape the all consuming world of Ben 10, he’s a 10 year old boy who finds a watch – the Omnitrix. It helps him change into a range of aliens who possess a vast array of hideous physical features and wildly violent powers which are unleashed on the Dee-N’s (that’s what Tiggy calls them) they are in fact DNAliens! Oh, it’s so ghastly and I’m ashamed that he’s become so ‘into’ them. Bad Mummy, but he’s already addicted and I must be weaker than I thought.

Korean candy

more candy

Anyway I, very cleverly, I think, managed to re-create an acceptable, to Tigs and me, Ben 10 logo which I used on all the packaging for the goodie bags. Actually they seem to be pretty bad photos but you should manage to get the idea!

Some more general decoration pics on the way.

x

birthday :: flowers

hippeastrums on the kitchen bench

hippeastrums in the baby's reach!

hyacinths on the dining table

alstromeria on the side board

hyacinths in the bathroom

I love the chance to cover the house in flowers. Birthday's are just the reason. I often choose white. But like most things with me, I vacillate between cool, calm and serene and wild, loud and vivacious. Must have been a cool moment. It also went well with the non-Ben 10 theme I had going!!

Back soon with the goodie bags.

x

first time

Now those who know me would know that I'm quite patient, with some things anyway. We would never have managed to bring our two beautiful children into our lives without a bit of patience.

However, when it comes to fabric I'm not. At all. I have to have it NOW.

I'm usually restrained, empty purse and all, but every now and then I throw caution to the wind and head to Amitie or Patchwork on Central Park or, uggh, the dreaded Spotlight and sometimes out of desperation even to, gasp, Lincraft. Why do they both seem to employ the least helpful and least knowledgeable (with regard to their own products and general sewing) staff I've ever encountered? Not nice to whinge, but really, ever heard about customer service?

So back to my 'first time'. Greg was out for the evening, the house was quiet and tidy and I started to let my fingers do the walking, all the way to Heather Bailey! What lovely, lovely designs she has. I have thought and thought about ordering before. I think I've even gone through the whole purchase process and then shivered and shyed away. But with the exchange rate on the up again. I gulped and hit 'place order'. I'm seriously over-excited about the pending arrival of this package. I even got a little giddy when I found the shipping email in my inbox this morning.

Oh, all the things I can make with this beautiful stuff. I'm so blessed to have a sweet little girl who will probably have something made for her with the Paisley blue fabric. The ROSE BOUQUET in emerald reminds me of the beautiful bag I bought yonks ago from Charlotte.

Have a Happy Day Everyone!

Oh and please say, "Hello" to me if you get a moment. I'd love to know who's out there reading my dribble!! Maybe you're as dotty as me! Scary thought, hey!

*images from Heather Bailey

first cuppa

my tidy desk - only for a moment but it's a good a moment

I love my new mugs. They're from Country Road. My tea this morning tasted so good. Plus I was able to have a moment to myself before my sweet babies woke. Bliss.

birthday preparations :: mars bar crackles

First things first. The most delicious chocolate crackles.
I used the Kellogg's Mars Bar Slice recipe but I put it into cupcake holders as I thought they would look prettier on the table – and they did.

flossy is always my sous-chef, and a very good one, I might add

the cake stand with honey joys mixed in. mmm, which one should I have first?

the cake table

The candle is lit in memory of Tiggy's birthmother. It's something Tigs and I did very gently and peacefully before everyone arrived. A reminder of the extraordinary woman who gave birth to our beautiful son. I am sure it's a date she'll never forget.

Thank you Seong Jin Orma. We'll always remember you and pray that your life is good.

I had a look for the recipe link but couldn’t seem to find it again. Anyway here’s the recipe (below). In future I’d leave out the golden syrup (not sure what it’s there for and Lord knows it doesn’t need to be any sweeter) and the dark chocolate as we inadvertently added it to the melting pot (oops). It’s meant to go on the top. They are super yummy and terribly good for you … Well maybe only for your soul!

MARS BAR SLICE

3 cups rice bubbles3 x 60g Mars bars, chopped

75g Butter1 tbs Golden Syrup

150g Dark Cooking Chocolate, chopped

1. Place chopped Mars bars in a heatproof bowl with butter and golden syrup.

2. Microwave on high for about 1 1/2 minutes or until Mars bars are melted.

3. Mix until smooth.

4. Stir in rice bubbles & press mixture firmly into a greased foil-lined 20cm square cake tin.

5. Place in refrigerator until firm.

6. Place chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, or until melted. Stir until smooth.

7. Spread over slice and refrigerate until firm.

8. Remove slice from refrigerator about 1 hour before cutting into squares with a warm knife.

Makes 16 Source : Kellogg's Rice Bubbles

happy birthday darling!

My 'little' boy is 5. How has this happened?

More from me soon. Cut finger. Very late.
x

grey, chill, damp, misty morning

It was absolutely freezing yesterday morning, well by our standards anyway, 5 celcius at 10am and no sign of it clearing or warming up. There was no dawdling on our streets everyone seemed to be moving with purpose, positively bustling. To get to their destination and out of the cold, I imagine.

So, having dropped Tigs at creche, Twinkle and I popped into the sweet little cafe on our street, Mr Burch, maybe it's Birch, must check and also see if they have a link. It's full of vintage ephemera, old baggage racks with pork pie hats sitting jauntily next to bags of coffee beans. Shabby tin baskets holding cutlery and napkins. Slick new Caesar Stone work bench with time-worn mesh food covers over large, freshly baked slabs of raspberry-coconut slice (it was yum).

I must ask if they'll let me take some photos for the blog. I just love it. I ordered a skinny latte and there, out of this crisp, grey morning came this little pop of sunshine. Isn't it fun? I've never seen a take-away cup like it. And each in the stack was a little bit different.

Maybe I'm the last to see them, Greg saw it on the kitchen bench at home and thought I was barking mad, but then he has a lot more take-away coffee than me and I am barking mad! Usually, Miss Thrify comes home and makes her own!!