Craftathon

I've been very busy lately with all of my crafting projects. I think of this as a blessing as it manages to distract me from the more negative things that have been going on lately. You'd be surprised at how calming it can be to simply sit down and write all of your ideas for future projects out for an hour or two!

The most recent thing I've been up to is baking - something that I'm particularly close to because I just have a natural given talent for it. I think that everybody is born with a talent whether they like it or not and sometimes it just takes people a bit longer to figure out what theirs is.

I used my new stand mixer over the weekend to bake up two cakes for a birthday get together. The first was a chocolate chip cookie dough cake (I used the recipe from one of my favourite baking bloggers and it was a roaring success! How could a 3 layer devils food cake, vanilla cheesecake and cookie dough cake NOT be a success! The second cake was a much more simple two layered pineapple upside down cake.

Besides the baking I've been busy making notes and plans for new soap creations. I've decided on an apple and mint creation and a citrus themed one. I'm definitely curious to try out some marbling techniques this time around! I also purchased the most adorable baby soap mould which I'm planning on using for a in the future babyshower that is still to be planned. I think the idea of receiving a newborn babyshaped, baby scented soap would be lovely.

I've put a lot of knitting projects on hold because I simply haven't had the time to really sit down and get to it properly. I currently have about 3 different projects on the go: a cabled sweater, a baby kimono jacket and a super cute pink baby dress. Let's not even mention the fact that I had a grand idea to knit hats for a charity project in Africa! I fear I'll never get around to finding the time to do that.

I have a lot of fabric printing to do too! Mostly baby related, but I'm also planning a surprise thank you gift for a friend which I think they'll really like. 

Stay tuned to find out more :)

What kind of natural given talents do you all have? And who do you think you inherited them from?

Winter weather calls for one thing only...soup!

Every year I suffer with the same problem. In summer, I go around complaining to anyone who will listen that I'm sick of the heat and that I can't wait for the snow and ice of winter, but a few months into winter I do the complete opposite and complain about how I'm sick of having frozen limbs and can't wait for the humidity and bare legs of summer.

To soften the pain the one thing I absolutely love doing during winter is making soups of all kind. I like to think of myself as a bit of a master of soups, if I'm honest. It's just that I haven't made a bad batch of soup to date! 

Yesterday I made this asparagus soup which I blended up with the new blender I got for my birthday. Here's the recipe to share with you all: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

400g fresh asparagus, finely chopped

500ml vegetable stock

salt and pepper

4 tablespoons double cream

1) Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for a few minutes until it's softened up.

2)Add the asparagus and fry it with the onions until that has softened up too.

3) Add the vegetable stock to the mix and boil it. Season the soup with the salt and pepper and let it simmer for around 5-7 minutes.

4) Add the cream and blend the soup until it's silky smooth. 

By the way, you can also add any other green vegetables to this is you feel like it. I added in some peas and it made a nice addition to the soup. Enjoy!