A Little Bit Retro!

I have officially started preparing for the dreaded Christmas! First on the list was a stocking for Miss P and I couldn't resist this cute fabric by Alexander Henry. It's lined with some LA gingham. I'm really pleased with it and am looking forward to seeing what Father Christmas fills it with!

I was out looking for a tin to keep my loaf shaped cakes in and spotted this set of three Ladybird tins in TK Maxx. Not exactly what I was after but I couldn't resist. I love the images on them. Not sure what to keep in them yet but I'm sure I'll think of something to persuade Mr P they were an essential purchase!

Still looking for that loaf tin though!

This apron I have lusted after for a while and finally treated myself. It's made by Boojiboo and it's so cute and retro. Plus it gets me in the mood for cooking and cleaning. Well, maybe not the cleaning! There is one issue with it and that is I would now rather get my clothes grubby than the pretty apron.

In My Kitchen

My recent absence from my sewing machine meant more time to spend in the kitchen. I do love creating new things in there and if they are successful, the recipe wins a place in my household folder! I cannot take credit for creating the recipes unfortunately but maybe one day I will be able to come up with my own.

This was a delicious Salmon and Broccoli Pasta Bake. Very easy to make which is always a priority for me when choosing something to cook!

This Banana Cake I have made a couple of times now and does not last long. In fact I was lucky to get a picture! Great for using up those over ripe bananas that I always seem to have in my fruit bowl.

There is another girl in our household who loves being in the kitchen too. In fact she asks nearly every day to make cakes. She chose a recipe from my cupcake book and got to work.

I've never seen anyone concentrate so hard on stirring!

Of course you cannot be a successful cook without having a taste along the way. Luckily the mixture met her very high standards.

After some very hard work with icing she was very pleased with the final result.

Can you spot the spider unhappy about having one eye removed by a small finger?!

The only problem with all this cooking and baking is that I end up eating too much! I have more cake than is good for my waistline but I'm sure it's good for mental health to sit down with a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake every day!

Sew Sorry!

I have been a very bad blogger lately! Mainly due to my lack of motivation so when I heard everyone getting excited about the new Cath Kidston book 'Sew' I thought it might be just what I needed.

This is my version of the bag that came with it. It is lacking some top stitching and has some added bunching which I'm sure is not a feature on anyone elses but I am pleased with it. Plus, imagine my joy when I realised although it's quite small, the book I'm reading fits snuggly inside!

I forgot to sew on the CK label before taking pictures but that has now been remedied. I added some candy stripe lining and a cardboard base.

The button loop was a bloomin' pain to make and took me ages to turn so won't be making one of those again!

What I am most pleased with is my button holes! I have never sewn any before and after a few practice goes, I found them rather theraputic! I might just do them for fun in future.

A few weeks ago my mum and dad had the pleasure of visiting York and found themselves in the CK shop (I am very jealous)! They bought Izzy these pretty slipper socks that look so cute on her chubby little toddler legs!