"The Craft Group" plus...

Every year I try to think of a small gift I can make to give to friends, teachers, neighbours. I try to make something they can use and that doesn't make them feel obligated to give something back. Last year, as I was on a roll with making the mugs of Hot Chocolate Mix for the ladies at The Craft Group, I thought I'd keep the production line active and put together snap-lock bags full of the mix and wrap it in cellophane with a card inside. The things you see on top of the mix are mini marshmallows.

At the end of the year we like to give all the ladies a gift. Last year it was a mug containing a home made mix for hot chocolate. It was very well received :) It's fun giving presents! Lydia and I made 60. Here is the recipe for making  12 (IKEA) mugs full. "The Craft Group Hot Chocolate Mix" Sift and mix together... 8 cups of Milk Powder 4 cups of sugar (or a bit less) 2 cups of good quality cocoa 2 cups of powdered coffee whitener 1/2 tbs cinnamon dash of salt We first put a small freezer bag in the mug and used a spoon to fill it with mixture. Then we added 2 tablespoons of mini marshmallows. We twist tied it shut and covered the whole thing with cellophane. A gift tag and ribbon finished it off. The gift tag was to say Happy Christmas to everyone and to thank them for being such lovely members of the group. It also gave instructions for making up the hot chocolate... "put 3 tablespoons of mix in a mug and add boiling water. ...

Ah, maybe I don't mind working at the computer after all! Source Have a great weekend.  Hope you do too! As they say in Holland... Genieten!

Having a date with all 1's written like this only happens once every 100 years.  So celebrate and have a special day! Here in Oz of course we have "Remembrance Day" today.  Remembrance Day (11 November) marks the anniversary of the armistice which ended the First World War (1914–18). Each year Australians observe one minute silence at the exact time the armistice was signed  on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This is  in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts. Last year we had the minute silence during The Craft Group. We even had the traditional poem and bugle call. It helped to have an army contact through Jenni's Seargent dad, so we knew how to conduct it properly.  It's always a bit awkward being in the big shopping centre at 11am. The muzak  stops and most people are just quiet and then there are the odd few who are making a huge commotion with bellowing voices and no idea of what is go...

At 'The Craft Group' we always have something sweet and something savoury for morning tea. Often the simplest home made foods are the most popular. There were many requests for Jenni's cheese and chive muffin recipe. So here it is! Cheese and Chives muffins 1 ½ cups grated cheese 1 ½ cups SR flour 2 tea spoons sugar 1 egg 1 cup milk salt and pepper chives (about ¼ cup) Mix all together. Bake 200’C for 12 minutes.  I love recipes with all natural ingredients, no packets with lots of 'numbers' in the ingredients list. Thanks Jen!

A while back I showed you the cute skirt Nadia crocheted. At the time she was busily working on another creation. A circular top. She tried to explain how it was going to work. I must admit we didn't quite follow but were happy to wait to see the finished project for it to make sense. Here you can see the arm holes. And here it is a few weeks later with sleeves and modelled by Nadia herself. It is stunning! The top of the circle folds over to make a wide collar. Thanks again to Nadia for her great inspirations.  But wait... there's more...  How about this little number which would look great casually with a singlet top and skinny jeans or leggings underneath or it could be dressed up with a black long cami underneath. Well Nadia, you've done it again!

I am loving making crocheted flowers. I have tried many different patterns for a good 5 petal flower and I really like the one I stumbled across on a blog called "Little Birdie Secrets". Here is my first attempt which I placed on the front of a little card. (Happy Birthday Jen!) Click here to look at her tutorial and pattern. Be sure to scroll down to her video demo which makes it so much easier.