My other new obsession

Crystalised edible flowers - so pretty and really , really easy to make.  I finally got around to having a go after discovering I had aquired no less than three cut-out-and-keep recipes in my stash; to my delight they are really simple to do and look soooo pretty.  Probably a bit o.t.t. on this particular cake, maybe less is more, but I was showing off to my good friend Holly, the Queen of Baking.  I think it worked :)

Back to business

Well here we are very nearly in a new year after a busy happy Christmas with my lovely family and a rather long break from making anything at all - I seemed to spend way too much time browsing at Christmas fairs and not enough time at the sewing machine.  I'm ashamed to say that I made only one present this year - a cushion for my very dear niece Kate's new bedroom in her lovely country farmhouse.  It's a bit wonky - I had forgotten the perils of stitiching on crushed velvet, it has a life of its own, but I hope she'll be happy with it.

I did do a little festive baking with the delightful mini cake tins that I got for my birthday and although my icing-all-over made them a bit too sweet, the edible glitter and fresh cranberries made them look very pretty.

My most pleasing Christmas creativity was inspired by Country Living magazine and was much enjoyed by the local wildlife - I'm going to plant it in the garden and do this every year!

Now I'm brimming with ideas for things to make in the new year, which is a pretty good plan as I have a) no money and b) cupboards bursting with fabric just begging to be used.  Back to business with a vengeance!

Yum!

I have learned that decoupage on a square / rectangular box is fairly tolerant of slapdash handiwork, but curves are altogther another challenge.  Solution - paint the box with some Silk Wood Paint from the depths of the shed, keep the sticky-on bits simple and tart it up with a bit of ribbon.  Add homemade Peppermint Chocolate Creams (thanks to lovely Lorraine) and - voila! Another birthday present in the bag. The box is a bit wonky but that I like to think it all adds to the home-made charm...  And it really is worth the effort, it got a much warmer reception than shop bought.  And being a small box, there's plenty of those Peppermint creams left over for me :)