Christmas Preparations #4: freestyle mince pies

Decided to try deep fill...

Playdough

The Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia play dough recipe is very good.  I used baby oil instead of cooking oil and it has a lovely smell.

Christmas Preparations # 3: Peppermint creams

Interesting when cooking with a toddler.  Recipe called for 450g icing sugar to two lightly whisked egg whites and a few drops of peppermint essence.  Think my eggs were too big as added a shed load more icing sugar to make it dough like and then it still stuck to everything: me, Erin, the rolling pin, the pallet knife, the tray I put the creams on to dry...

Hey ho.

About 10 of the batch of 50 were near presentable.  They were the ones I managed to do once Erin had got bored.  A lesson there - wait until the toddler gets fed up and then you can make food you'd actually be happy for people to eat.

Christmas preparations # 2: Advent Calendar - some sewing at last

Managed to finish off the advent calendar I've been planning since September and started just before Daniel was born.  In fact, I think I started it the very afternoon before I went into labour.  That was one hectic day.

It's a little bit Pinterest inspired and uses a combination of techniques including wonderful Bubble Jet Set for the numbers and some fantastic wonderweb type stuff to stick on the numbers and the letters.

I particularly enjoyed looking for nice old fashioned fonts and thinking though how to actually get it to hang properly as felt isn't the most robust of materials.  A hastily ironed on row of tape across the back to give the hanging ribbons something to hold onto did the job.

It could do with a little more embellishment, but that will have to wait until next year as it's already three days late.  Erin has been surprisingly good at grasping the concept of one pocket per day, particularly as there are chocolate coins stashed in there.  Am sure will find her one day with a mountain of silver paper trying to stuff chocolate into Daniel!

There are recipes when baking for a reason...

I have discovered today that there are acceptable degrees of Janet-type behaviour when it comes to baking.  I thought I could adapt the Hummingbird Bakery marshmallow cupcake recipe to cut out the tedious and frankly wasteful melting-of-marshmallow-to-put-in-the-centre-of-cakes stage.  But no!  A baking disaster ensued...

At first I thought I was on to a winner as the marshmallow expanded and looked like it was melting nicely.  But then as the timer went off at 20 minutes, I could see we had a proper disaster on our hands - what on earth happened to the mallows?!  Hey ho, gotta give these things a go.  Mr WP delighted in pointing out that surely the Hummingbird people had already tried this technique so it wasn't at all surprising it had resulted in crater cakes.

So I made a second batch and decided that simple vanilla cakes with the yummy mini marshmallow topping would do the job nicely enough without faffing about melting things to go in the middle.  A little nod to Janet there all the same.

Christmas preparations # 1: Christmas Cakes - UPDATE! Stages 2 and 3

So, the boy continues to be a legend, and he has a bit of a gnarly cold so is sleeping even more.  That said, it has taken some time to getting around to feeding the cakes, for a number of reasons...

I made the mix:

And, being rather Janet British Bake Off about following a recipe, substituted gluten free self raising flour instead of plain flour (we'd run out as Mr WP had been in a Hummingbird frenzy again).  And this also meant my mum, who loves a Christmas cake, could share in the joy.

So, I baked them:

And they came out with a nice spongey top and a clean skewer etc etc.  But then mum tried one and we found they were, horror of horrors, UNDERDONE.  Oh no!  What to do?  Mum said feed with brandy and they'll taste alright.  But I just couldn't face an underbake.  I could hear Paul and Mary's words ringing in my ears so I consulted Helen and we decided it would be ok to bung them back in the oven for half an hour.  This happened today - FIVE days later.  Proper Janet behaviour. 

So now they look like this and have also had a liberal dowsing with brandy:

Proper rock hard slightly burnt Christmas cake.  Yessssss.

International order

Got some lovely feedback from my first international customer today via facebook.  So pleased the pinafore got there and that Hayley was happy with it.  Sounds like it!

"Thankyou so much for Heidi's Wonky Pocket dress, I love it and I'm sure Heidi does too, perfect fit, and the detail / time and design are just top quality, very well made dresses, and a fantastic idea I must say. I will be back for more X" Hayley hem creations ~ Baby, little girls and womens accessories

Here are some pics of the finished piece - a 1-2yrs Pinafore in Rosebird:

 

 

Breastfeeding = need for cake, lots of

My lovely friend Helen gave me the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook as a new baby gift.  Mr WP and I just love this book.  He started off with some chocolate chip cookies that got eaten so quick I didn't even get a chance to take a photo.

I decided on Marshmallow cupcakes and what a choice.  I think I ate three in a row yesterday.

So you put melted marshmallow in the middle of the vanilla cupcakes (am going to try to bake a whole marshmallow in the middle of the batter next time)

Icing mixing tekkers:  use the beaters without power to mix the butter in before whizzing - stops clouds of icing sugar ruining your kitchen surfaces darling.

Marshmallow vanilla frosting - sooooo yummy!

Tomorrow, lemon cupcakes for Mr WP's birthday...

Christmas preparations # 1: Christmas Cakes

Thanks to this little guy being such a legend:

Check out Daniel's homemade blanket - a Debbie Bliss design I almost got perfect for once!

I have started to make these individual Christmas Cakes from the latest edition of Country Living magazine:

 

The rationale being that I am probably the only person that's going to eat them in our house, so why not make 16 cupcake sized cakes soaked, no, drenched, in brandy - last the whole year right?

Here is the fruit soaking in lemon juice, orange juice and brandy.  It smells amazing.  After three days I am allowed to make the cakes.  Then, once made, they have to be 'fed' brandy for four weeks.  I wonder if that is a daily, weekly or perhaps even three hourly thing - kinda like the new son...

(not that he's being fed brandy, no no no!)

Look what I made!

  Daniel John Hercules Winder | 10.11.11 | 11.55am | 9lbs 6oz

Great British Bake Off Chocolate Roulade

I have also been sewing, a lot - completed first international order yesterday - a 1-2 yrs pinafore in the gorgeous Tilda Rosebird fabric in teal.  It's destined for Australia don't you know - blog post to follow once it's arrived with its owner.

But had the family over for the weekend and Sunday lunch today.  Mr WP cooked the roast, I did the desert.  Mary Berry's chocolate roulade from the Great British Bake Off.  Very nice.  And suitable for my Coeliac mum.

Needless to say, with three Tudballs, a Tam and three Winders, there is none left!

Why sewing rocks...

Just knocked out two pillow cases for Erin's bed (as she has decided that she wants a pillow or else she'll have to sleep on the sofa) in 45 minutes.

Pretty much instant home made gratification.  Yes!

Buy it Baby Success!

What an awesome day.  Had a very lovely time at the Buy it Baby fair in gorgeous lovely Otford - must go down there for a wander when not heavily pregnant and browse the antiques shops and have a nice pub lunch.

Sales were good, felt brooches are a winner, as are hair clips - must make more for next time.  Lots of interest in the dresses, trousers and skirts and lots of very positive feedback.  I think the trouser and skirt range may well have to extend to 6-9 and 9-12 months so will have to get working on some new patterns.

Here's a rather shaky picture of my loyal friend Jess manning the stall.  She travelled about 100 miles to help me out - what a trouper!

I really must remember to iron the table cloth for next time!

So pleased with the feedback, especially from the lovely lady who bought the 1-2 yrs pinafore there and then.  It's really encouraging to be told you should go on Dragon's Den with your products!

1-2 yrs Pinafore design finalised

Been meaning to get around to this for ages and here it is in a lovely Tanya Whelan French Hatbox wide pink stripe.

Thanks to my mum for donating an old denim skirt.  She's very tiny, so the pocket size worked really well and looks in proportion to the teeny dress.  1-2 years old looks so small now Erin is getting so big.

 

It's teeny!

 

This is such a simple yet gorgeous print.

So there we go, the pinafore range is complete.  I feel a sudden sense of calm and order in my life.  Ahhh.

Cup of tea I think.

Bubble Jet Set

I have discovered a new wonder product!  We have been thinking of an economical way to print labels for WP creations.  We tried screen printing (I have a totally creative husband) but it was just way too fiddly.

Then I heard about freezer paper.  An American invention I think, and used a lot by quilters apparently, in what respect I'm not sure.

Anyway, you iron this stuff onto your fabric, cut the fabric/freezer paper combo to A4 size and then run it through your printer.

Genius!

Or so I thought until I washed it and all the ink came off.

Back to the drawing board (or google search) and we discover this miracle in a bottle:

 

I was very doubtful at first, as it looks like water, but there's formaldehyde in it don't you know. 

So, you soak your fabric in it, dry the fabric and repeat the freezer paper printing process and then when you wash the ink stays.

RESULT!

So I can now print my labels and change them as and when I need to.  Thrifty eh?

Poor neglected blog, again.

I think it's the freelance work that's done it, and perhaps being 34 weeks pregnant during an Indian Summer (29.9 degrees c today apparently), but there hasn't been that much energy left for creating this week.

There was enough for a trip to John Lewis and Ikea in the same morning (why oh why?!) that nearly killed me. 

I'm blaming that on the heat as well - too hot to stay at home or be outside, so the logic was to go to nice big indoor places that have some kind of air conditioning and lots of interesting things for the little person to look at.

Anyway, some creating was done, namely fulfilling a WP order and finessing the pinafore dress design which is now fully lined:

Very pleased with this one.  Lovely Tilda Rosebird fabric in Teal.

Just waiting for my 'Bubble Jet Set' to arrive to use with my freezer paper and I can print up a label and pop this beauty in the post to Penny and Alexa.

Hair clips

Keep having new product ideas - loving this flurry of inspiration.

Today:  Hair clips

 

 In denim to start.  

Think felt will work really well too.  Yes, pack of two, one denim, one felt.  The WP accessories line continues to grow...

Spider!

The uses for the glue gun are endless!

  

 

Fabric Flower Brooches

Endless possibilities - from top left - felt, a wool-type fabric, denim.

How gorgeous? These are so quick and simple to make and will be a great way to use up fabric remnants.  Now on to a headband...

Hurrah for the glue gun!

 

(For Helen - so you can see what it is!)

Glue Gun!

Oh dear!  A whole new world of wonky homemade projects has opened up since my glue gun arrived today.  I'm finally going to be able to complete a lot of the things on my 'to make...' Pinterest board.

Here's a first attempt at a homemade card.  Think I need a bit of practice with the gun, as you have to be quick before the glue sets.  So the heart isn't exactly in the shape I wanted, and it's a bit off-centre, but hey, all in all it looks pretty cute.

Now, on to felt broaches.  And I had an idea for headbands with denim roses...

New WP Pinafore shape

Have slimmed down the WP Pinafore design, narrowing the neckline and sculpting the sides to give a more shapely silhouette.  Here are a couple of samples I put together today ready to take to the Buy it Baby fair.

 

Age 3-4 using Tanya Whelan French Hatbox TriRose in Lavender

 

Age 4-5 using Tanya Whelan Lana in Turquoise

Don't forget, you can email to order your own version - laura@wonkypocket.com xx

King's Road

Spent a day with some very good old friends yesterday on the King's Road and at Buckingham Palace viewing "The Dress".  Had a good browse of the Peter Jones haberdashery department in Sloane Square before a mooch around Cath Kidston and afternoon tea at the Chelsea Teapot.  Fabulous cakes and a very nice cup of Darjeeling.  We giggled like schoolgirls and misbehaved totally, just like the old days.

Then on to the Palace to view the state rooms and the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress.  Being quite pregnant, we managed to even be allowed to use the loo inside the Palace!  Could quite imagine Harry popping off for a wazz before the photos were taken on the big day.

A great experience and in great company.