The cake never got iced. It was too tasty. Didn't last long enough to see any icing. Bloke has been down with a bad cold. I hope you're all having a better day than us!
Minnie xoxo
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Thursday, 20 December 2012
4 Days To Go
I think I've admitted defeat with regards to bloke's jumper. I am not the Yarnharlot, as lovely as she may be I can't drop everything to knit. There are other fun things to do like decorate the tree!
The lovely shiny baubles have been padded out with some salt dough pals. When I was a teenager I was very into art, painting drawing and the like. The talent has not stayed with me, so I just painted them block bright colours with acrylic paint and did a little fancy gold flecking with a little shiny paint and a dry brush.
Salt dough is easy peasy! Here's how you make it:
You just need half a cup of salt, half a cup of tepid water and slightly more than a cup of plain flour. Work the dough until its smooth , roll it out, cut out some shapes with a cookie cutter. Jab a hole with a cocktail stick or an old pen and bake in a low oven for a few hours until hard. Then you just paint and add some ribbon or string and hang on the tree. If you are particularly proud of your work seal with a water based varnish or pva glue. And just to be clear salt dough is not for eating.
Making salt dough ornaments is one of those things that is usually reserved for small children only, but its a lot of fun and I highly recommend it as a cheap and fun way to pad out, update and personalise your tree. With some patience and a little more imagination and some stunning results could be achieved, but I'll be honest I'm pretty proud of my simple stars, hearts and circles. I'm easily pleased.
I hope you all aren't too stressed by the run up to the big day!
Minnie xoxo
Its a very tiny tree. Bloke surprised me with it and a few new decorations. Our old ones are still missing. Alas. The topper is a free printable from Jolly Allsorts. I am rocking lots of free printables this year. Mostly on photo paper because it makes them look a bit more polished.
The lovely shiny baubles have been padded out with some salt dough pals. When I was a teenager I was very into art, painting drawing and the like. The talent has not stayed with me, so I just painted them block bright colours with acrylic paint and did a little fancy gold flecking with a little shiny paint and a dry brush.
Salt dough is easy peasy! Here's how you make it:
You just need half a cup of salt, half a cup of tepid water and slightly more than a cup of plain flour. Work the dough until its smooth , roll it out, cut out some shapes with a cookie cutter. Jab a hole with a cocktail stick or an old pen and bake in a low oven for a few hours until hard. Then you just paint and add some ribbon or string and hang on the tree. If you are particularly proud of your work seal with a water based varnish or pva glue. And just to be clear salt dough is not for eating.
Making salt dough ornaments is one of those things that is usually reserved for small children only, but its a lot of fun and I highly recommend it as a cheap and fun way to pad out, update and personalise your tree. With some patience and a little more imagination and some stunning results could be achieved, but I'll be honest I'm pretty proud of my simple stars, hearts and circles. I'm easily pleased.
I hope you all aren't too stressed by the run up to the big day!
Minnie xoxo
Friday, 14 December 2012
Get Down And Ceilidh On!
Tonight Bloke, Dad's girlfriend and I are going to the Vatersay Boys in the Barrowlands ballroom!
Excited doesn't even cover it. Its the perfect way to kick off the festive season.
I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Minnie xoxo
Excited doesn't even cover it. Its the perfect way to kick off the festive season.
I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Minnie xoxo
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Christmas Knitting
Well actually this was supposed to be Bloke's birthday jumper. His birthday is in September. Yeah. Oops. So progress stands at the back being complete and I've done this much of the front:
An extra large makes it look like I've knit more right? Right?!
The real problem is that its a very, very dull knit and has spent most of the year bundled up behind the sofa in disgrace. But I have 12 days to finish it. That's do able. I knit almost constantly but still do able. The pattern is one of the free Cascade patterns, W353. I've linked to the ravelry page because my gosh is the cascade one a pain in the bum. The sizing is one to watch too, it tends to lean on the larger side.
Anyway I need to get back to knitting! I must be crazy. Really crazy.
Minnie xoxo
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
The anti gift guide
This morning I read this article in the Guardian. Just how much of what you buy survives after christmas? Does it continue to be used? Hell can you even remember what great aunt Maude got you last year? Why do we put ourselves through this?!
Gift that are needed or are genuinely enrich the giftees life are wonderful. Flannel pjs for that friend who has moved to the cold north, a stand mixer for your sweetie or a beautiful hard back copy of a much loved often lent out and lost book for the giftee to cherish for ever and clutch while gleefully while they cry "Get thee to the library, this is mine and I love it!" I recommend a nice copy of Good Omens for this last one.
What I'm trying to say, in the nicest possibly way, if you aren't a child chances are I'll be giving you some kind of food based product. That I made myself. Because nothing says "I really care about you" like gout. Gout and high blood sugar. And if you are a child chances are its educational, made of wood and most definitely does not make a noise. I am a meany.
Filling each others homes with random, expensive tat really is wasteful. "Look I really do care about you! I spent 20 quid on this thing I hope you'll like" doesn't quite have a wonderful ring to it. Now I'm not saying we should give at all. Gifts are wonderful, they make us all happy. Its a lovely feeling taking the time to search for that perfect thing. To wrap it up, stash it away and then to pass it into excited hands. The perfect piece of jewellery, or a nice set of tools. A stylish hat or a life changing piece of music. All wonderful things. I'm just asking that we put a stop to stuff for the sake of stuff.
A bubble wrap tie for example. How long is that going to last? Also its costs a fiver! A waste of money and resources. That's an awful lot to simply say "hahaha you work in an office and I presume its dull." Er right. Time to rethink?
Anyway I have more baking to do. I promise I'm not the Grinch.
minnie xoxo
Gift that are needed or are genuinely enrich the giftees life are wonderful. Flannel pjs for that friend who has moved to the cold north, a stand mixer for your sweetie or a beautiful hard back copy of a much loved often lent out and lost book for the giftee to cherish for ever and clutch while gleefully while they cry "Get thee to the library, this is mine and I love it!" I recommend a nice copy of Good Omens for this last one.
What I'm trying to say, in the nicest possibly way, if you aren't a child chances are I'll be giving you some kind of food based product. That I made myself. Because nothing says "I really care about you" like gout. Gout and high blood sugar. And if you are a child chances are its educational, made of wood and most definitely does not make a noise. I am a meany.
Filling each others homes with random, expensive tat really is wasteful. "Look I really do care about you! I spent 20 quid on this thing I hope you'll like" doesn't quite have a wonderful ring to it. Now I'm not saying we should give at all. Gifts are wonderful, they make us all happy. Its a lovely feeling taking the time to search for that perfect thing. To wrap it up, stash it away and then to pass it into excited hands. The perfect piece of jewellery, or a nice set of tools. A stylish hat or a life changing piece of music. All wonderful things. I'm just asking that we put a stop to stuff for the sake of stuff.
A bubble wrap tie for example. How long is that going to last? Also its costs a fiver! A waste of money and resources. That's an awful lot to simply say "hahaha you work in an office and I presume its dull." Er right. Time to rethink?
Anyway I have more baking to do. I promise I'm not the Grinch.
minnie xoxo
Friday, 7 December 2012
Oh Look another wedding post! Sorry...
No I'm not sorry. I lied! What a terrible person I am! My wedding dress came this week. Its vintage! The seller described it as ready to wear and with out flaw which of course means it was so dirty it turned the water I washed it in turned grey and it needs a fair amount of of seam repair and neatening. Joy! Well it's been washed. It smells a lot better and isn't nearly as stiff. Look the lining is creamy white! Not yellow! hurrah!
Its been a very weddingy few days, tonight I tackle the invites. Not the filling out but the wording and the look. God help me. I understand why we can't just text every one and say "Oi, cake, some lovely feels and the odd photo opportunity. Be there." but only sort of. Can we have a moment to talk about how expensive stamps are? 60p. 60p for a bloody first class stamp. 50p for a second class stamp. So eh we'll be hand delivering most of them. And yes I am aware that e-invites are all the rage but parents and grand parents across the land are crying out "But i can't put an e-invite on the mantel or in a photo album!" Lets not even get on to the cost of save the dates and thank yous. Urk. Being polite is expensive people!
Tomorrow I will say nothing about the wedding, I promise. If I escape from a sea of "we request the pleasure of your company" that is.
Minnie xoxo
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Can we talk about gender and love for a quick moment
No one really thinks a certain way because of what their gender identity is.
This mini rant is brought to you from too much perusing of wedding boards on Pinterest. You don't need a book or a series of inane blog posts or magazine articles to tell you how to relate to your other half. Just treat them like a person you care about! That's it be a decent human being, treat them like any other person you want to stick around with. Having mandatory date nights isn't going to bring you any closer together if you don't make an effort. A weekly trip to the climbing centre would just make me hate you. (I don't like heights.) You can still be selfish and alienate the other person while on the surface "trying."
Relationships, yet another place where the rule of Don't Be A Dick applies.
And the object of your affection in question fell for YOU, you just the way you are (hairy toes and all.*) Not some weird person who sends sickly sweet texts every Tuesday lunchtime (because you set a reminder), makes sure you have an official date every Thursday ever without fail and leave creepy little love missives in their lunch box. Unless you've always been like that. If you are I bow down to your amazing powers of organisation and perkiness. Will you be my friend? My after coffee and a good breakfast so I don't smash a
plate over your head friend?
I am nice to Bloke, honest.
Minnie xoxo
*Stop laughing at me, they aren't THAT hairy and I wax. HUMANS ARE MAMMALS! WE HAVE HAIR!
This mini rant is brought to you from too much perusing of wedding boards on Pinterest. You don't need a book or a series of inane blog posts or magazine articles to tell you how to relate to your other half. Just treat them like a person you care about! That's it be a decent human being, treat them like any other person you want to stick around with. Having mandatory date nights isn't going to bring you any closer together if you don't make an effort. A weekly trip to the climbing centre would just make me hate you. (I don't like heights.) You can still be selfish and alienate the other person while on the surface "trying."
Relationships, yet another place where the rule of Don't Be A Dick applies.
And the object of your affection in question fell for YOU, you just the way you are (hairy toes and all.*) Not some weird person who sends sickly sweet texts every Tuesday lunchtime (because you set a reminder), makes sure you have an official date every Thursday ever without fail and leave creepy little love missives in their lunch box. Unless you've always been like that. If you are I bow down to your amazing powers of organisation and perkiness. Will you be my friend? My after coffee and a good breakfast so I don't smash a
plate over your head friend?
I am nice to Bloke, honest.
Minnie xoxo
*Stop laughing at me, they aren't THAT hairy and I wax. HUMANS ARE MAMMALS! WE HAVE HAIR!
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Move Over Bloke
I have a new love in my life. Her name is the DIY Bride. Other wise known as Mikala Bierma. This lady is the funniest, I have such a crush on her. I don't think its creepy? Is it creepy. Who knows?! Do we even care?
The videos they kill me dead! Now I am a diy, crafty type but really who wants to put all that effort in to ONE day. Dear prospective wedding guests there will be some lovely life changing moments for the bride and groom and some cake for you. Anything beyond that point is a bonus. SOME SWEETS IN A BAG TO TAKE HOME?! MY GOSH YOU ARE SPOILING US! I'm serious here, the wedding is in July, I have a dress, we have a church there is a reception venue that has a bar. Anything we do on top of this is a bonus. Sorry dudes, we're epic slackers.
So much hilarity. This will seem totally bizarre to the not crazy not planning a wedding crowd. But not only is there a "ZOMG you have to spend the equivalent of a house deposit on a wedding!" there is an opposite, partially pinterest induced, hipster/diy all the things wedding related pressure. Now I love pinterest as much as the next speccy, sewing machine owning, cake baking, knitter but my word I don't love you all enough to hand fashion individual candies for wedding favours. THERE WILL BE SANDWICHES AND A DJ DEAL WITH IT. And yes that DJ's name might well be "mp3 player hooked up to some amps." Deal with it.
And now to reassure those who will be coming to the wedding. Yes I will feed you. Yes there will be music. But really folks its only one day out of many and lets face it no one wants to hear the wedding has been postponed until they can figure out how to dislodge me from the sofa because I had an unfortunate accident with a hot glue gun and some glitter.
Yours forever apathetic in planning but very much in love,
Minnie xoxo
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Its Officially The Holidays!
University is off till the new year, there has been snow and the blog has a lovely festive new look!
Campus is really lovely looking in the snow.
The loch even froze over a little!
I dressed my teeny tiny pipe cleaner tree.
I set up what is probably the sparsest ever nativity scene ever.
I used this printable on photo paper.
Sock knitting has been the priority. Wool socks are the best in this weather.
Not a bad few days. Now that I'm done with uni for a bit the festivities will gear up a notch. So much baking to do, so much more house prep. I just love this time of year!
Hope you're having a good start to your December!
Minnie xoxo
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