Make-a-costume-osaurus.....

Hello and welcome all, hope you are all in super health.

 

The eldest Mr Chander is slowly settling in well to his nursery school and new routine.  He seems to be enjoying meeting new friends, and the wonderful variety of tasks he performs daily.  He does seem to love the sand and water and painting, judging by his uniform every day....

 

Anyhow, Halloween is approaching, and I decided to make a costume for his preschool party.
Master Chander has two major loves - trains and dinosaurs.  He loves Thomas the tank engine, but I think I'm a better seamstress than I am an architect with cardboard and glue; so a dino outfit it was to be.

Having googled "homemade dino costumes", I decided to "freestyle a costume for him. I purchased a cheap furry blanket from a bargain store in a suitably garish blue; and I recycled a "Mr Tickle" tabard (which he never used), for orange fabric and velcro.  Waste not want not, eh? I also used a few scraps of felt too if necessary.

I used one of his sleep suits and drew out a pattern in four sections. I tried, wherever possible, to use the already stitched edging in the blanket as edging on the suit. I made a tail, with the orange "mr tickle" arms as decoration, with orange bony plates along the back. I also made a hood which was a bit lopsided, but never mind, with the same orange detailing and felt eyes. Finally, I made an orange belly with ricrac detailing - and used Velcro to allow easy access in and out for toilet stops! I was so pleased with how it turned out and it only took about 5 hours of making time.

 

Master Chander wore it yesterday - it unbelievably stood up to the challenge and I was very chuffed with some compliments aswell from the nursery staff and parents alike! I would certainly give costume making a go again; it was great fun and most importantly,the smile on my son's face was priceless! After a making mojo sojourn, I am now ready for the push for Chrimbo with some crochet makes.....
 See you soon. Em

Absence makes....

Apologies for not posting recently - we have been rather busy here at Casa Chanders of late.  If you ask me why, I probably couldn't tell you everything we've been up to - I just know that the little slice of blogging/making time has been sorely squeezed of late.  It's very frustrating because without that time , I think I get a little dolally - it's amazing how my ramblings on here can keep me content.


Anyway, I have managed to finish one of my Chanders "specials"  - a chirpy little granny pram blanket for a friend's new arrival. I am also starting a little costume sewing for the eldest Master Chander....but more of that later....take care....

simple pleasures:

 Apologies for no recent posts  - last week was a busy week between working, resting and playing. Unfortunately, there was little in the way of crafting too.   Disappointing. 

Today, I'd thought I'd share my current simple pleasures  (obviously inspired by point number four below):

1. Listening to water pouring into my mug for my daily morning cup of tea.

2. Drinking the aforementionned mug of tea.

 

3. Stewing fruits and veggies for Master Chander number two, who is weaning with an appetite the size of Wales.  It's good to see, but I can't keep up with him.  And I can't resist a little stewed apple and pear.....
 

4. Reading Ravelry for great inspiration; and visiting the Dorset Cereals website - particularly the competitions; mini quizzes (especially Word Up!) and especially the "simple pleasures section" (to be found here http://tokens.dorsetcereals.co.uk/questions). I love it when websites like this don't take themselves too seriously. And they do make a lovely muesli.

5. Finding this pattern for tapestry granny squares in this month's Cross-stitcher - a project for the future, methinks. Love, love,love it. I'm slowly gathering supplies - realistically a project for next year, but who knows....

What's floating your boat this weather?

Crochet update....

 

Aah, crochet. As the nights get darker earlier, so the littlest Chanders' go to sleep a little earlier, and I can gather the wool and hook in my arms, to cosy into the sofa and do a little crochet before bed beckons. But still, not as much as I'd like, as Mr Chanders is on night duty and by the time I have all the household necessaires completed, I'm often flagging. Anyway, this isn't a moaning post, rather a little reminder of what I have started; and what remains to be done.

1. The "Big Round" Blanket.... a rather satisfying little project; so far I have 11 squares completed. I'm happy with the colours and the pattern thus far; but it has taken a little bit of a backseat for...

2. Baby blankets - I realised, last week, that two of my closest chums are both expecting little ones soon; so I have started one baby blanket - the usual suspects of colour (namely, my Cath K inspired colours), although the yellow is a little more sunshine than the usual lemon. The yarn, however, is acrylic: I was so pleased with my previous experience that I'm happy to use it for gifts.

3. The "South Bay Shawlette" - nothing has changed with this; but I'm putting it on to (gently) encourage me to get a MOVE ON and finish this (particularly as this will form part of a pressie for a dear one come Christmas)

4. The girlie blanket : again, another potential gift for December for a special young lady - I'm now onto my second square, as you can see. I just love the simplicity of granny squares; I never get bored from them.

 

5. And finally: a new stash - this is some Debbie Bliss "Prima" cotton that I procured from my favourite eBay seller, aileen55, over the past while. I'm loving the colours; a little muted compared to my regular taste - I'm hoping to use these for either some Chrimbo gifts, or failing this, a cushion cover or two.

 

Anyway, that's the latest goings on in my woollen wonderland. We shall see how things pan out over the next month or two. Have a super weekend. Em

The princess of china...

 

Good Monday folks, I hope you are all well.  I just thought I would share a little car-boot and charity shopping with you.  Mr Chanders (for the first time and probably the last) joined me with the little ones early on Saturday morning to our local sale; not early enough for me; but I made an exception as such enthusiasm should not be trampled on.  And then, we went to a couple of local favourite charity shops.  The plate above was from one of the shops; I love it because my mum has the exact plate; a gift from my paternal grandfather as she admired it , when he lived in England.  So I was rather pleased to snap it up; perfect and with a plate hanger already attached.  Maybe the two plates shall  be reunited one day....

 

 

This is a much larger plate; very simple in style; again in another charity shop; for a few pence.  A lovely, simple design; not fussy and will hold a few sandwiches or buns; and in perfect condition.

 

 

Finally, my favourite. I love jugs, with a mini collection on my kitchen windowsill; and managed to pick up this lovely blue and white Spode example at the car boot from a lovely lady. It had a little chip already fixed; but nothing bad enough to put me off for a pound or two. I love the blue and white china; but it's getting harder and harder to find at boot sales and charity shops. So the windowsill has a new recruit to the Jug brigade; and I am two plates richer. Anyway, time to go; my sofa, two little chaps, a book and a blanket are calling.....take care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs Chanders Bakes - Mark two....

Hello all, and welcome.  What a very quiet week it has been, full of fun and mundane:  train looking and cooking; dinosaur bashing and washing.  And a bit of baking.

 



It was my mum's birthday this week.  Yesterday to be precise.   I had already given her a delicious linen clutch courtesy of Ms L Guinness for a birthday present (markedly reduced courtesy of a sales website) in August, so she could use it on her hols.   But I didn't want to go to see her yesterday "with my arms the one length", so I rustled up this little beauty.

 

 

It's exactly the same as the anniversary cake I made in July for the "Ruby Murray Curry Night", but with pastel flowers and ribbon, instead of red.  And an obligatory doily.

 



 

Inside, a delectable victoria sponge with buttercream, recipe courtesy of my old favourite, Mary Berry. I knew it was tasty enough when Dad said "Aye, it's not bad".  I was a little sad to eat her, to be honest.  Anyway, looking forward to the weekend - Mr Chander is off; no studying to be done; might even get to the local car boot sale.  To be honest, I'd be happy with the whole family, snuggled on the settee, watching a film..... 

 

Vegetable soup....

 

A little Friday foodie post, if that's okay today. I love to cook nowadays - when I was a student, I would burn toast; but when you have to feed a family your culinary skills have no option but to improve. I know I definitely have - I've also lost "the fear" - the fear of messing up, of your food tasting like the culinary equivalent of the bad auditions in the X factor. It's also the fear of the unknown - of not knowing how to make something, thereby thinking it must be tricky.

Take soups, for example. I love soups for lunch, and if I'm out and want something light, I'll often go for a soup option, particularly those fancy blended varieties, with a bit of homemade bread. My mum makes one type of soup - vegetable broth made with some shin and stock; she makes it every Saturday in the winter; and her mother before her. It's my childhood in a bowl.

I decided I wanted to make a bit of soup without meat - and couldn't believe how easy it was - I used Mary Berry's "Winter Vegetable Soup" for inspiration, and tweaked it a bit. Basically, I used a couple of leeks; celery (I love celery in soup); potatoes; a couple of garlic cloves; onions and a couple of carrots; I cooked the leeks in butter in a big saucepan for around 8 minutes; then added the rest of the chopped vegetables for the same time; and then added about 1.2L of chicken stock (just using stock cubes) and let it simmer for around 25 minutes. Then I blended the soup et voila!



A veritable feast of veggies.

 

The first time I made it, I couldn't believe how tasty and simple it was. And now I make my vegetable soup nearly every week. I tend to use whatever vegetables I have in the kitchen: always leeks and celery, onion and garlic; but I've added parsnips/carrots/potatoes/butternut squash/sweet potato (Master Chander likes the sweet potato variety!) - whatever I have that's fresh and available - it also makes it slightly different each time. It's great for hubby to bring to work as well; and healthy too. I've never frozen it (because there's usually not enough left) but I think it probably would be okay. To me, the blending makes it that little bit more delish but that's just a personal preference.

Next stop will be to make the bread with it! Take care...

 

 

Things I like: things I dislike

There seems to be lots of things I either really like or dislike this week - no grey; no in-between, no sitting on the fence. As clear as putting objects in a "red/blue/green/yellow" corner in school - things seem to sit very clearly in my mind as being liked or disliked.

Things I like:

1. The Paralympics: Unbelieveable. The quality of the athleticism is astounding - and seeing things I wouldn't have thought possible - if you get a chance, check out the F42 high jump. Just stunning.
 

2. Singing to Abba Gold whilst having my daily shower: I never tire of this - can't beat a bit of Abba (although I'm sure the neighbours would probably disagree). Can you hear me sing Fernando?
 

3. Monday night television - University Challenge on BBC2, swiftly followed by Only Connect on BBC4 - geekish, I know, but it helps to keep my brain ticking over whilst on maternity leave.
 

4. Mary Berry. Love her on Great British Bake Off (which I am also enjoying, but think everyone is taking it too seriously this year); but love her cookbook even more. Haven't had a bad recipe yet.

5.  Parade's End: Love the adaptation so much I ordered two Madox Ford books from Amazon.  Think I might start with The Good Soldier first though (as it's thinner).

Things I really dislike:

1. Poor customer service - on three occasions, in different stores, on the same day. I'm the kind of person who is almost apologetic for asking for something, and will forgive most things - but I have been really shocked recently by shop assistants being, well for the want of a better word, rude. Insincere. And no, I don't want to hear shop assistants effing and jeffing about their supervisors when buying my milk and bread, thank you very much.

2. Junk mail/people calling for no reason - for some reason, I seem to be getting lots of junk mail (the kind without my address on that everyone in the locality gets, you know the sort). And people knocking at the door to complete surveys/sell window glazing or internet film rental????? One woman wouldn't take no for an answer, I really thought I was going to have to prise her foot from my door! You think you would be safe in your own home.....

3. Adverts for "collecting" magazines - you know the sort (i.e. collect a plastic piece from your magazine weekly in order to make a boat/plane etc). There's a glut of the adverts on for these at the mo; I'm all for collecting things or developing new hobbies; but not if its going to cost them half a house to do it.

Sorry to rant, but I feel so much better for that. Must dash, going to make some pizza dough for this evening's tea, then maybe a little crochet.

A little bit of crochet..

Welcome all... It has been rather quiet here of late - the eldest Master Chander had his open day at nursery school, which was wonderful; Mr Chander has just done some professional exams (not so wonderful); and in the interim, I seem to have acquired a chest infection (wonderfully bad). Anyhow, the worst is over, and at least I have had the incredibly inspiring Paralympic games for company (although I wish Channel Four wouldn't insist on tv adverts at every turn). Every day I see another example of human endeavour at it's finest; I didn't think it was possible, but I think I prefer the Paralympics to the Olympics - despite the fact I knew more about the Olympic competitors at the beginning.
 

 

I have managed a little crochet and have started my squares with the Debbie Bliss Amalfi - it's not a bad cotton to work with, although I have noticed some colours seem more prone to knots than others; and now that I've done a few of the "Big Round" squares, I have got the hang of the pattern without having to check it every five minutes. I've had to stop as I didn't order enough Ecru shade (that's the cream one for the borders) and am willing my postman to stop every day with more supplies. Anyway, better go and watch some more Paralympics (there's only five more days to go.....)

a few of my favourite things : john lewis

Now, I know that for those of you living in mainland UK, this might seem a bit silly, but I love John Lewis.  We, in Norn Iron, are not fortunate enough to have one - we only recently got a  House of Fraser, Paperchase and (very recently) a Cath Kidston; but I would swap them all for a John Lewis. 

When over visiting Edinburgh/Yorkshire/Manchester, I'll always make a beeline to the nearest one, and I've yet to be disappointed. 

 

I'm not sure a person can be characterised by their favourite shop (in the way some people are characterised by their favourite film/pet), but if one was, John Lewis would do it for me.  I was trying to encapsulate why this is the case, and I found it difficult, but here's a few reasons:

 

1.  A department store not afraid to embrace crafts - well, certainly in the ones that I have been in, this seems to be the case.

 

2.  The variety of brands on offer does seem to agree with my taste.

 

Anyone for Cream Crackers?

3.  The homeware - especially the latest "Home Comforts" range - it surely must be wrong to covet cushions and kitchen jars, but what can I say?

4.  Their boys' clothes - anything that I've bought/given as a gift has been good quality and withstood the rigors of the Chander Chaps.

 

5.  I've managed to get good bargains in their sales online; and unlike a number of other companies, the delivery charges are reasonable to Northern Ireland.



All images courtesy of the John Lewis website.

Of course I could be wrong; it might be that, as in the old adage - familiarity breeds contempt; but I have yet to be disappointed, and hopefully long may it be so.  In the meantime, I will continue to wish for a Northern Ireland John Lewis - or maybe, at the very least, some new kitchen jars and a cushion or two!  Take care, em.

Memories of Alfred and Marianne.

It has been so wet here recently that walking out on the grass gives you that horrible, squelchy feeling underfoot. I really dislike the sensation (you know, senses are so important - but I digress). It's also that time of the year when the summer blooms are wilting, with the hanging baskets starting to look a little worse for wear. I took a little stroll in the back garden this evening to assess the damage there, and was pleasantly surprised; there was the usual heady scent of lavender; but some pretty violas were having a final, glorious hurrah!, my eucalyptus is thriving as is my honeysuckle, but more excitingly, a rose bush that I had seriously lost confidence in has decided to bloom and restore my faith in my (faintly) green fingers.

Roses remind me of my paternal granddad; he was a master rose grower, no matter when I visited, he had a beautiful rose in bloom without a black spot in sight. He was an amazing man, who died a week after my eldest was born, and after whom my eldest is named. I took a single rose for my sweet little cuttings jug; and some eucalyptus and lavender stems for the hallway. As you can see, I have absolutely no arranging skills whatsoever; but I'm enjoying looking at the silvery leaves in the distance.

In other news, the sweet pea, which I cultivated in the kitchen window, and failed to relocate with its brothers and sisters in the garden, is in bloom. To be honest, I'm quite glad to have a bit of floral company in the kitchen; and sweetpeas remind me so much of my maternal granny, who always grew a wall of them in her garden. It's quite fitting for it to be in the kitchen, she was a fantastic cook, particularly baking - she made the tastiest food from the simplest ingredients. She always believed in the freshest ingredients. Good night and god bless, Granny C and Granddad M.

Do particular flowers remind you of a loved one?

Two types of square.

Hello, and welcome all; what a glorious weekend we are having here in Norn Iron (local speak for Northern Ireland); the sun is splitting the stones which is lovely as for the last few days, it's been cloudy, humid and there's been lots of heavy rain showers. During the bad weather, I've been doing a few things: making vegetable soup, roast chicken and chorizo roasted vegetables; and some Mars Bars Rice Krispie squares. I love Rice Krispie buns; and have tried various traybake Krispie combinations - but this is my favourite by a country mile. The recipe goes like this:

Makes 8

100g rice krispies (or thereabouts)

3 x Mars Bars

100g butter

125g milk crocolate

Place the sliced butter and mars bars in a bowl and place over a saucepan of boiling water until all melted; stir in the rice krispies gradually and mix well until all covered. Empty into a lined metal tray and press down; once firm cover with melted milk chocolate and allow to set ( I find the fridge best during this weather). Once set, cut into delicious chunks and enjoy with a cup of tea! Krispie bliss....

Anyway, my other little project is a crochet one - hurrah! I am, of course, still working on my WIPs and presents for holiday-which-cannot-be-named; but I wouldn't be me unless I had about 5 or 50 projects on the go. Anyway, I spotted some reduced Debbie Bliss Amalfi in 55eileen on Ebay (a great little yarn shop with lots of great bargains at times); and snapped some balls up. Amalfi is a cotton/linen/viscose/silk mix wool; which I have never used before; but I wanted to make a light throw for me for warm evenings.

I love how the cluster stitches look on the hook
(just like little Pontipines - from In the Night Garden)

 I was going to make hexagons as I've seen some lovely blankets on the web; but I like the regular shape of squares for joining etc; so I am using "Big Round" from this book, 200 crochet blocks for blankets, throws and afghans, by Jan Eaton. I'm aiming for a big splodge of colour, surrounded by white.  I think I need a ball of teal, and maybe a stronger green, but we'll see.

This is my first block - so far, I'm happy enough with the pattern - although I don't think the pattern instructions are as clear as I have read elsewhere. As for the yarn, it's quite novel to be using cotton, and I am happy enough ; I had read reviews that this yarn can be quite splitty, but thankfully, I haven't had this problem thus far. It's nice and soft to work with too.
Anyway, enjoy your weekend and take care. Em

(edit:  realised I forgot to put some krispie square pics on and phone battery dead - promise I will soon...).

Things that make you go oohlaalaa...

I am preparing myself, no doubt as many of you are, for the POBs....(post-Olympic Blues); I've always loved watching sport, but I think you would need a heart of glass not to have been moved by some of the scenes from this Olympics. So, in order to soften the blow, I am trying to find joy in the little things around the house:

1. Burning my lovely Jo Malone pomegranate noir candle which seems to be lasting forever (a gifted candle, I hasten to add).

2.  Making new, simple food and it tasting like one hoped: e.g. Spanish chicken with chorizo and potatoes (from Nigella's website here); or baked nectarines with brown sugar, smothered with clotted cream ice-cream and broken meringues (honestly, it tasted as good as it sounds!)

3.  Catching up on my magazine subscriptions: thank heaven for certain clubcard vouchers.....

4.  And finally, I'm very excited to have started reading a new book - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. When I was buying it, I said to the assistant how excited I was as I had been looking to treat myself to it for some time; she said she was just glad someone was buying a book other than a certain "Fifty-something Book"! I started reading it yesterday, and so far, it's as good as I had wished; and I have high hopes it will continue. Take care until we meet again. Em

A few of my favourite things: Avoca

I always loved a day's shopping to Belfast - and nowadays, with the opening of Victoria Square, it's even better.  It's probably no different to most UK cities in terms of it's shops - but there's one thing we have here that other UK cities won't have - Avoca.  I love Avoca - to those not familiar with it, it's an Irish company, which started  as a woolen mill in Avoca Village, County Wicklow over 200 years ago.  The company was nearly lost until a local accountant bought it over over 30 yrs ago - and now it's really thriving. The photos here are of me visiting the original mill - Avoca heaven!

Avoca are primarily famed for their beautiful checked woollen blankets and garments - but the Avoca shops now exude a whole lifestyle - lovely crockery and homeware, with a vintage feel.  They also do clothes; cookware and gifts for friends and children alike.  They also have the most wonderful restaurants at each of their stores - and the food is delicious (particularly their desserts, soups and salads, and elderflower presse) - you can buy food to cook at home; and they also sell their recipe books should you wish to recreate their culinary delights at home. I can't recommend these books highly enough - delicious food for your family; and reasonably healthy too (most of the time!).  My only criticism is that Avoca is an expensive shop; I love to look, often covet; but only occasionally buy,and often gifts for others.   My next item of longing is a checked woollen blanket (Mr Chanders, if you're reading this!!!), but I can't justify this unless it's a significant purchase. 

So if you're in Belfast, or a number of places in Ireland, such as Wicklow/Dublin/Ring of Kerry, be sure to check out Avoca - treat yourself to lunch or tea, but you might need to save a few pennies first....

Loving the Olympics

I am not a particularly sporty person; rather, I love sport, but am not particularly good at it! I love to watch lots of sports; and therefore, I am in my element with the current coverage of the Olympics. It's particularly lovely to see local athletes do so well - particularly when the media like to apply so much pressure. The eldest Master Chander is enjoying himself immensely: although the weather has been rather rubbish here, he has been inspired by the Olympics and we have a gold medal ceremony for the 10 metre dash around the kitchen at least 10 times a day.

Otherwise, I have started a new project; I am starting to make a few pressies for a certain celebration in December - namely a few crochet blankets for some children we know and love. The colour scheme is not one that I would consider, but I think it works - I might even try one without the cornflower blue. I'm just sticking to a large granny square as I find them therapeutic to do. Just the usual acrylic, which can withstand the vigours of a childhood.

Anyway, back to the Olympics, a bit of sailing, perhaps? Or athletics? Or maybe even a little gymastics - I don't mind.  Good luck to all, and talk soon.

100 places in Ireland to visit before I die....2

2. Botanic Gardens, Belfast (including the Palm House and Tropical Ravine).
(footnote: most appreciated on a sunny day with an ice-cream).

The finished article: Cath Kidston-inspired granny square blanket.

I'm so pleased to be showing you this blanket today - it's always lovely to finish something. This blanket was inspired by the lovely colours Mrs K uses in her products; and is destined to be used in the boy's playroom/reading room. The room, as you can see, is brightly coloured, with red being the primary colour.

For this blanket, I used Hayfield Bonus DK wool; simply because it's a cheap acrylic available at a local wool shop: ten 100g balls for 12 pounds is hard to beat; particularly when you're on maternity leave. It's not as nice to feel as the lovely Debbie Bliss that I would normally use; and quite splitty; but it's sturdy, and not as difficult to crochet with as I would have imagined. I was going to block the squares, but I decided it probably wasn't worth the effort - I think in retrospect, I would the next time.

It's a very simple pattern - twelve granny squares of twelve rounds (two rounds of each colour); then each square ended with a white round. I joined them using Lucy at Attic 24's joining method; and then finished off with a few large rounds of the colours; and a scalloped granny edging with red (again Lucy - many thanks).

I'm very chuffed with it - as is my three year old, who has used it for picnics for him and the toys and a tent already. I hope it's up to the task ahead. In the meantime, I'm carefully considering a next project as my other two are slightly boring me.  I'm still in love with granny squares, and am considering making even more big granny square blankets as gifts for a couple of girls I know.  We'll see.