"The Craft Group" plus...

We love sharing skills hidden amongst our group. Rita and her husband Arthur ran a Chinese Restaurant for years.... and so who better than her and her daughter, Christine to show us how to make the best fried rice ever? Rita and Chris's Fried Rice recipe: Prepare everything beforehand and have ready in little bowls... (just like in the cooking shows!) * RICE - boil on the stove the night before. I cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to the boil then turn down low and put the lid on for 20 minutes. Fluff the rice up and put in the fridge over night. Let it dry out while it cools down. So if you need to put it in the fridge still a bit warm, leave the lid slightly ajar. Chris uses long grain or Jasmin Rice. * SCRAMBLED EGG - Crack an egg into a bowl and with a fork really beat it up. Don't add anything. Then in a hot, oiled work, cook the egg, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks. Set aside. * VEGETABLES - finely chop up some shallots (or spring onion) set a

If you are looking for inspiration for designs for hand made cards, take another look at Iris Folding. Here is a great example by Rita. Iris folding can be done using the cheapest of materials if you want to. You can be like Rita and use wrapping paper which is great because it is thinner than craft paper and folds so well.  HERE is an introduction to how to do a simple project. And HERE . You can explore Iris folding where people use POSTAGE STAMPS  ( another one here ) or TEA BAG COVERS.  The possibilities are endless! Thanks for the inspiration Rita.

There are lots of things I LOVE about The Craft Group and one of those things is the "Show 'n Tell" we have. There's no place for holding back achievements by wrapping them in in faux humility. Creating something is to be celebrated! After a bit of a break over the holidays, so many ladies brought in home-made projects to share. Ideas galore! Janice has been busy crocheting. When granny squares were reported to be coming back in vogue, I didn't believe it. But there are some ways guaranteed to give them a modern twist and I love them! Just add white or black borders and enjoy the new version of putting Granny Squares together. Crocheting with scraps and random colours are so much fun. Here Janice covered some coffee jars. Use them to hold pencils, pot plants, a bright bunch of flowers or look up "Gift in a Jar" for a trillion ideas. (Well, maybe a few less than a trillion). ...and a colourful cushion with a crocheted centre flow