Recent cakes!

Sorry I haven't been updating recently... I've been super busy with Architecture.

All food recently (including cake) has been ginger tinged - I bought SO much by accident (online shopping nightmare). As a result I have developed a ginger blindness; there can never be too much now, and it is disturbing my loved ones....

Cocktail party at Mary's - Such a great night of creating
yummy combos and getting accidently drunk.

Mary made a cake for Luke's birthday - it was LUSH

Irish Soda Bread

Gingerbread, left, and ginger 'teabag' cookie (see here for the idea)

gluten free gingerbread with chocolate!

Ginger Chocolate flapjack

Carrot and Ginger cake - AMAZING

A sign of spring at the allotment!!!

Apology cookies

On Tuesday night, I went out with my housemate. We were pretty loud when we returned in the wee hours of the morning. So I made some 'sorry for waking you up' treats.

Oatmeal and Raisin cookies.
Was still a little on the wrong side of tipsy, so it's a miracle that these came out ok. I used a Joy of Baking recipe, but deviated. A lot.

Crumbs stand as evidence that they are great warm
(there were two dozen)

Housemate Envy: 9/10 - a simple recipe that simultaneously helped hangovers and mended fences.
Presentation Points: 9/10 - I could have wrapped them up, or presented them on a nice stand, but they were too yummy to waste time doing that. They had a nice 'golden brown' going on, and soft in the middle.
Yummy Points: 8/10 - need more raisins and oil for a more gooey cookie. A real homely bake, that dangerously feels like it should be healthy. Maybe substitute sugar with apple puree? More dried fruit?

Films, Rugby and Coffee cake

The last  couple of weeks have frightened me in how fast they go. It's crazy. 

On the 28th January, I filmed a music video of my talented friend Mary Jane. We visited different locations and filmed the same song over and over. I then edited it into a very raw-feeling video, where you can hear the changes in sound in each cut:

Please also see the write up on my architecture blog!

I also made a coffee cake on Friday. I used a hummingbird bakery recipe as the baseline. But I halved the quantities, added more coffee and a dozen toffees.  My idea with shape was to make a house... Not a great success.
Nevermind, it was great and we ate it with cups of tea whilst watching the rugby yesterday.

Housemate envy: 10/10 (it got rave reviews from all of them, plus guests we had back to watch the rugby.)
Presentation Points: 5/10 (very questionable, and not how I envisioned)
Yummy Points: 9/10 (I know this is my best coffee cake yet, but I felt the sponge could have been less dense. Buttercream was a dream -no recipe.)

Procrastimaking in January

Oh dear, it's been a long time since I posted a blog. I've been having some computer nightmares.... anyway, here's what I've been doing:

An architecture project

This is the one I talked so fearfully about in another blog post, but it's over now. For submission, I took 3 photographs of my elderly relatives, showing them as they are, with a bit of text saying who they are. I wrote the supporting text and all references on my type writer. I love it so much!

All wrapped up!

A Carrot Cake

This was baked for a coffee and cake chat with my friend Mary (who sings amazingly, check it out!)

New Point System:

Housemate Envy: + 9/10 (There is a reason that I don't have a picture of the whole cake!)
Presentation Points: 6/10 (The top icing was quite thin and runny, so I constantly felt like the fairies in sleeping beauty when they make the birthday cake, see below!)
Yummy points: 9/10 (It was beautiful, three different kinds of icing in it, moist, good crumb. The bottom was a smidgen overdone though)

By the way, this film is the way to my heart. It is definitely my favourite film EVER.

A Shirt Skirt (with tutorial)

I have definitely seen this before, but I didn't save the link so it cannot be credited :(
I was super happy with this, and wore it out on friday.

Take a shirt

Chop off the arms, collar and cut across the chest
(cut across the chest at the part that matches your waist measurements)

 Then sew up the sides as necessary, hem the top. I then cut the collar in half, and sewed it on to the top as a strange belt loop. 

Belt loop at the back looking hot!

Cakes and Models

So, I've got back into baking this last week, and here are some things I made earlier (excuse crap phone camera skills!)

Victoria Sponge with beautiful Farm Shop
 'Plum and Mulled Wine' jam.

Little model

Cupcake mould working a treat on a birthday cake

The top all iced ' with a cherry on top'

She was very happy with her surprise birthday!

It's been a fun week. For architectural fun times see architectureandi.blogspot.co.uk and for my recent running and fitness adventures check out Every Day is a Good Day when you Run

Ciao Belle!!

Long time no see!

Hello there!!!

I am just realising how much I have neglected this blog and crafting in general! What is happening to me?! So much has got in the way, namely art and it's ruthless demands.....

Since the last
I have finished my art A level (pictures will definitely follow eventually), such a weight off my shoulders!!! And I finished Alice's dress on time, but a very poor fit (a rather large cock-up on my part, sorry baby g!), so that is in pieces ready to be re-designed, re-drawn out, re-cut and re-stitched. After re-fitting it might just be re-finished....

Alice and I on her birthday
with the badly made dress!!

I also made Sophie a dress for her birthday. This one was much more successful!! She seems to love it, and she looks absolutely gorgeous in it!!! The basic ideas came from a 90's pattern for a much longer, slightly differently shaped dress. I hope to keep adapting this pattern as it has such a beautiful fit on anyone (i.e. I WANT ONE TOO!!! maybe I'll create some sleeves....)

Sophie on her birthday
Looking hot!! 

I am now on study leave, so I have some more free time (which I should obviously be using for revising:/ )
However, because I am going to have an adventurous kind of summer, I need to get some money in so that it's a comfortable series of trips rather than a stingy stressed existence. Therefore, I have started myself an etsy account (not news really, this was a long time ago) which can be found here. At the moment only has some hand cut labels on, but I plan to expand beyond my thoughts of what is possible, after exams end of course (20th June). [Dear lord! That means my exams are over in 20 days time!! arrrghhhh!]

So, Etsy....
Some things to expect!
~ Jumpsuits
~ Reclaimed and reconstructed
~ Summer dresses
~ Home wares
~ Jewellery
~ Gifts
~ Kits

The grand opening: 30th June!!!!  I expect I will have some kind of promotion!! Keep your eyes here!!


Lots of love,
Abi
xxx

PS
I wore my calico jacket to my cousins wedding after taking in the back a bit :) It got some compliments, happy days!!!!