Nurse Gill's 50th Birthday Cake

Jenny asked me to make a cake for her daughters special birthday. Well knowing Gill was a nurse I suggested a cake on that theme, and used the colours she wears in the hospital where she works to dress this model I made.  

The cake was sponge with no marzipan for people who may have a nut allergy. This is not the best or my favourite kind of cake to make as there is little time in which to make it, get it decorated and eaten before the cake becomes inedible, and creating a good finish isn't so easy either... but I managed it.  How could I say no when Jenny has been so good to look after my dog for all these years.

I have posted several pictures because no one photo really shows it up.

It was fun making the nurse, patient and all the bits and pieces to decorate it. I used Squires modelling paste.

Cotswold Crafters Stamping Card

The Cotswold Crafters got together for another card making day. For the first time all six members were together and this was our second challenge of the day, stamping a card demonstrated by Chris with the original idea coming from Dawn's blog.

How differently these have all turned out..... lovely.

At the bottom is an extra card Fiona sneaked in when we weren't looking!

Cotswold Crafters Name Cards

What a lovely day we had today with a full compliment of the 'Cotswold Crafters' present.

This was our first challenge.... an oval card with a chosen name.

It is so lovely to see how each person took on the same challenge and put their own slant on it.  Don't they look so colourful and so different?

Thank you ladies....

Ann's Birthday Card 2013

Sorry to everyone who checks out my blog from time to time. Life has been busy and creativity has taken a back seat of late, whilst work and studying have taken my time.

However, I did manage to find time to make this card for Ann. She is my much loved and appreciated teacher.

To make the card I cut out the shape using  my oval nestabilities as well as the layered papers.

For the name, I went onto the computer, found a suitable font, adjusted the size, and printed out an 'A' and an 'N', cut them out and used them as templates to cut out the gingham paper.  To hide any imperfections in my cutting out, I used a damp watercolour pencil to colour the edges giving highlight to the name.

The decorations I made using die cutters with the exception of the butterfly which I saved from a Mothering Sunday card I received last year.

Paul Hollywood's White Tin Bread

Well I have decided to add bread making to my crafting.

I used to make bread many years ago using fresh yeast but am unable to purchase it where I live now so gave up.

Being so inspired by the TV programmes with Paul Hollywood making bread etc.... I decided I would have a go except this time I would use dried yeast, and I would not just make simple bread, but go on an experiment with other things as well. So I purchased his book 'How to Bake'.

Well in the words of Julie Andrews song.... 'let's start at the very beginning, that's a very good place to start.....' and I did with his white tin bread recipe.

Was it plain sailing? Nooooooooo!

I decided I agreed with Mary Berry... use the mixer. When you have a Kenwood with a dough hook, seriously, how can you knead by hand? Sorry Paul!

There was the  bread proving under its tea towel when I went to the oven to move shelves with a view to making a quiche and what did I find? My butter which I had put in there to soften. Oh dear!

Well when the hour was up... in went the fatless dough, the butter and I kneaded it again... popped it into the tin and sprinkled flour on the top.

I got a serated knife to score the top.... and oh that was scary... I only made two incisions and I saw the dough sink a little, so I gave up on that. I also added hot water to a tin and placed it in the oven as directed.

It came out of the oven looking really quite rustic which I don't think it should have done, so I clearly had not finished it off smoothly before putting it in the tin, and it had the crunchy outside caused by the water.... just like he said.

What about the taste? Well white bread isn't my favourite, well not the stuff my husband likes from the supermarket anyhow... but his was nice... it actually had flavour in it. I was impressed with how easy it was and shall certainly be making it again.  I may not have made it as well as it could have been, but still have to say it was a success as the proof of the pudding was definitely in the eating.

Chocolate Hot Tub Cake

This was a fun cake I made for the 'kids' instead of giving them Easter eggs.

A chocolate sponge cake sandwiched and covered in chocolate butter cream, I then placed kit-kats all the way round the outside and tied it altogether with a pink ribbon.

The models looked quite like them... which was fun, and they were also accompanied in their tub with two ducks, which I know they like.

You could say this cake cost an arm and a leg, because when we returned home from a birthday meal out, their King Charles had decided he fancied joining in the celebrations by eating not only 6 double kit-kats, one duck, some cake and butter cream, but also an arm and a leg!  Fortunately he had no ill effects from all that dark chocolate.

Derek's 60th Birthday Card

Derek loves travel so I made him this card to celebrate his 60th.

Not that he went to Paris or even France.... as it turned out they went to Jersey... not far away!!!

The inspiration apart from the interest in travel came from some lovely papers Mary had bought, and I particularly liked this paper with French writing and a picture of the Moulin Rouge. It gave a good backdrop to the travel elements.

Desiring Truth Thank You Card

 I went on an excellent weekend away at Lindors near the Forest of Dean recently, for a 'Desiring Truth' Bible teaching weekend on the Glory of God.

Not only was the teaching by Ann Absolom very good (as usual), but the fellowship with other believers was like a taste of heaven.

Just to add a cherry on the top... I made a lovely new friend called Sandra. We shared a room together and straight away felt like we had known each other for decades.

I wanted to give a thank you card to express my appreciation, so cheekily used three elements off their advertising literature to add to this card I made.. the Bible and the Desiring Truth logo's.

The Bible verse I used inside the card was:

"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free'."
The envelope in the centre section inside the card was there for me to pop a discreet note of thanks inside.

Chris's 2013 Birthday Card

I had a fancy to use different types of materials to make this card so used purple card, turquoise cord, softly patterned lilac paper, blue, purple and turquoise material folded and stuck down, silver peel offs to create the lines, diamanté in the centre of the soft flowers, peel offs for the 'Make a Wish' and candles and then typed a sentiment and printed it onto Safmat so that I could stick it onto the card.

I hoped it would be a pretty cheerful card that wasn't like anyone else's card Chris had sent to her, because she receives lots of handmade cards.

Sue's 2013 Birthday Card

I saw an advert for some die cutters to make a card that looked very similar to this. When I looked closely I thought, well I have cutters that are so close in design, I reckon I could have a go at sort of copying it.

Having some lovely lime green card from Papertrey that I was looking forward to using, set about making Sue's card.  Sue likes (in colour coding terms) summer colours, so I set about using some blues and silver to try and pull it round to something that I thought she may like.

I did have a bit of a wobble mind you... because she isn't overly fond of cards with flowers, and these are sort of flower elements, although not actual pictures.

She said she liked it... I hope she did, and wasn't just being polite.

It is difficult to make cards for card makers.

Oskars lifeboat cake

Oskar was celebrating becoming 6 years old with a party and a clown had been booked for the occasion.

oskar has a passion for lifeboats and also their mascot, Stormy Stan.

So I set about making a cake that included both.

The cake was sponge, sandwiched and covered in jam and butter icing before being covered in regalice.

Happy 6th Birthday Oskar.

I was thrilled to receive this thank you note from Oskar in the post for making his 6th birthday cake. The writing is so neat and tidy and am impressed with his skill at such an young age.

Doesn't he just look simply gorgeous? What a pleasure it was making this cake for him, knowing he would be so thrilled.

The Cotswold Crafters

Well here we are.... the motley crew!

Mary
Fiona
Chris
Pam

We met on the 2nd March and spent a lovely day making cards.

Lunch was a beef bourguignon and Fiona topped it off by making us a delicious meringue/roulade desert to finish.

This is the first card I made on our Cotswold Crafters day.

With some urgency I made this card because it was Anne's birthday the very next day.

I used an embossing folder to create the white broiderie anglaise design and then using some fabulous die cutters and stamps belonging to Chris, made the flowers.

If you want to see more cards using these then I can really recommend you go onto Chris's blog listed on the right hand side of my blog... called purple peonies.  She has made some lovely cards using them.

This card I made on the Cotswold Crafters Day on 2nd March 2013.

I used a new stamp set belonging to Chris and really enjoyed making this simple card that had a lovely clean look to it.

It looks to me like embroidery.

I sent it to my relative in Cornwall, Marilyn. I hope she liked it.

Tea Cup and Saucer Card

I fancied having a go making a card using my sewing machine.

I found a shape of a cup and saucer and cut the shape out of some pretty paper.

However it wasn't as easy as that because there was no definition, so I cut an oval out in green to place at the top of the card so that it looked like the inside of the cup, and out of the same paper cut a strange shape to differentiate the cup from the saucer.

I then had great fun sewing all the pieces together. Mind you, turning the corners of the squares proved a challenge and I wish I could say I had done it perfectly!!!

I liked the finish card and chose to send it to Dorothy for her birthday as she drinks tea and I think she may just like this card... well I hope so.