Brown Butter and Coconut Madeleines

We love Madeleines - the little French sponge cakes with the distinctive shell like shape. They are light, not too sweet, and go perfectly with a cup of tea. Sarah has baked a number of different flavours over the past couple of years (Almond Praline Madeleines and Honey and Vanilla Madeleines). We are looking forward to our trip to Paris in April - wonder what flavours we will discover.

Sarah made up a batch of Brown Butter and Coconut Madeleines over the weekend based on a recipe she found at Citrus and Candy. They are so light and delicious. The brown butter and coconut adds a lovely flavour to the madeleines. 

We packaged them in some cute little cake boxes that we found at Loft in Tokyo. 

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Quick Cards Using Hama Beads

If you follow us over on Pinterest, you may have noticed we discovered some fun cards this week that were made from Hama Beads. Sarah and her friends used to love making things with Hama Beads when they were around 7-8 years old. I raided our stash of children's crafting supplies and found some Hama beads, and a couple of left over motifs.

Hama Beads (or Pyssla from Ikea) are really easy to use. You create your pattern on the shape board, then cover your design with a piece of baking paper, and iron over the top until the beads start to melt and fuse together. 

We glued the finished design onto plain cardstock to make a simple but effective card. We were keen to try out a new rolling alphabet stamp that we purchased recently from Etsy seller, Glassnam. It was perfect for adding a stamped greeting.

We made a rainbow,

Pinky from Pac-Man,

and a trio of gifts.

It was fun to rediscover our Hama Beads. They add a great 3D motif to cards.


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How to Make a Laundry Bag

We love to travel and have got packing down to a fine art. When we are moving from place to place, it can be challenge to keep our suitcases organised (especially when we have been shopping). We have made some travel sized laundry bags to keep in our suitcases so we can easily separate our clothing. Made from printed ripstop nylon with a drawstring closure, it is light and compact when folded. We made it using French seams to give a neat finish on the inside of the laundry bag.

These would make a great gift for a traveller. If you would like to know how we made our laundry bag, follow our steps below.

How To Make  Laundry Bag (Travel Sized)

Finished Size: 17 x 22 inches

Materials:

Ripstop Nylon - two pieces measuring 18 x 24 inches

Cord - two pieces measuring 40 inches in length

Ribbon - 5 inch length for the  hanging loop.

* We purchased the ripstop nylon from Daiso in Tokyo (100 Yen store). It is available in most fabric stores. Another option would be to use shower curtain fabric.

1. With the wrong sides of the fabric facing, clip the layers together. We used Clover Wonder Clips (purchased at Okadaya) which were perfect for holding the slippery nylon in place. Using a 1/8 inch seam allowance, stitch along the bottom edge, and the two long sides, stopping 1 1/2 inches from the top edge. Clip bottom corners, and turn inside out so that the wrong side is facing. Stitch along the sides (starting 1 1/2 inches from the top edge) and the bottom using a 1/4 seam allowance. 

2. Fold over the top edge by 3/4 inch. Then fold over again. In the middle of one side of the top edge, position the ribbon as shown in photo below). Stitch along the top edge to secure the folded edge. Turn the laundry bag out the right way.

3. Thread the cord in through the left side through the channel and around the opening of the bag, exiting from the left side. Repeat with the other piece of cord on the right side. Tie the ends of the cord together. 

You can also find Wonder Clips at XO Gigi Fabrics.

Fold the laundry bag up and tie with an extra piece of ribbon or secure it with a hair elastic. The travel laundry bag is now ready to be popped into your suitcase.

You may also like these travel tutorials (click on the title under the photo to be taken to the tutorial):

Pyjama Bag

Travel Neck Pillow Cover

Felt Luggage Tag

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Apple Cake Recipe

I love having Wednesdays off work - I always seem to get more done when I am home by myself. I felt like baking and Mr 18 requested an apple cake recipe. I made a family favourite - Apple Yoghurt Cake. This apple recipe is low fat - it does not include butter or oil. It uses a small quantity of yoghurt. The cake is light with a delicate texture. It never lasts long .....

We originally discovered this recipe over at Little Busy Bee nearly 4 years ago, and have been making it ever since.

Here is the apple cake recipe:

Ingredients:

3 apples

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 eggs

175 g (3/4 cup) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

75 g (1/3 cup) plain yoghurt

250 g (1 cup) plain (all purpose) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons Apricot jam

Method

Grease a round spring form baking pan (10 inch/26 cm ) and pre-heat the oven 175° C (about 350 F) .

Peel and slice the apples into eighths. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and a pinch of salt for about 8 minutes on medium speed until creamy and fluffy. Mix in yoghurt. Mix flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture until just combined. Pour into pan. Add apples pressing them gently into the batter.  Bake for approx. 45 minutes or until cooked. Heat the jam and spread it over the hot cake. Cool. 

If you enjoyed our apple cake recipe, check out these apple recipes:

Apple Crumble Slice

Home Made Apple Sauce

Fold A Gift Box from a Sheet of Cardstock

When I was exploring  Pinterest  this week, I discovered a tutorial to make a mini gift box using one sheet of card. The card is scored and folded to create a clever little gift box, perfectly sized for packaging some small treats. The tutorial can be found over at Stamp with Silvey. 

What I love about this Gift Box is that it can be embellished/decorated in so many ways. I raided my paper stash and found some black and white polka dot paper. 

The tutorial uses a 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of cardstock. I used an A4 sheet which I trimmed to 8 1/4 x 11. (If you are using an A4 Sheet, score the lines at 2 inch and 6 1/4 inch in step 2). 

To see the tutorial you will need to click on the photos which will bring up a slide show of the steps.

I decorated a little peg/clothespin with washi tape and attached a satin bow with hot glue. These would be fun to make as little favor boxes.

It feels great to have made something that we spotted on Pinterest!  We would love it if you followed us over there.

Easter Baskets to Make

With Easter only 6 weeks away, we have been designing some Mini Easter Baskets to make using small pieces of  felt and ribbon from our stash.  We celebrate Easter in a fairly low key way. We usually have a lovely meal with our family and share some little Easter treats. We are always dreaming up new ways to gift a small package of chocolate eggs. We had some sweet Easter bunny ribbon in our stash so combined it with some felt to make little Easter Baskets.

We found some coordinating polka dot ribbon for the handles.

The baskets measure 5 inches wide x 2 1/4 inches high, and are the perfect size to hold a little bag of chocolate eggs.

We shared our first prototype over on our facebook page a few days ago and had lots of requests for a tutorial. So here are our instructions to make your own Easter Basket.


Materials(for one basket):

• wool felt measuring 5 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches
• Easter Bunny ribbon - two lengths measuring 5 1/2 inches (we cut our ribbon at 6 1/2 inches and cut it later in the construction)
• polka dot ribbon - two lengths measuring 5 inches

1. Mark the mid point of the two short sides of the felt rectangle with a pin. Centre the ribbon handles so they are 1 1/2 inches apart. Baste in place.

2. Pin the Easter bunny ribbon along both of the short edges so that it is covering the bottom of the ribbon handles. Stitch the bunny ribbon in place along the top and bottom edges. Trim the ends so that it is the same size as the felt.

3. Fold the basket in half with the right sides together and the handles matching. Pin the side seams together. Stitch the side seams using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

4. Box the corners: Using your cutting mat as a guide, fold the side seams as pictured along the 45 degree line. Using a water soluble pen, rule a line across the base that is 1 inch down from the peak, and 2 inches across. (the grid on our cutting mat is 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch). Stitch along the marked line, and then trim away the corner. Repeat for the other side. Remove the water soluble guide line.

5. Turn the basket out the right way. Pin the opening together at each end of the top edge, 1/4 inch from the side seam, as pictured. Stitch through both layers from the side seam to the pin, along the top line of stitching. This will hide the side seam and help the basket stand in a boat shape.

The Easter baskets can be made in approx 15 minutes. The project is suitable for beginner sewers and is a great way to use up small pieces of felt and ribbon.

Variation:

In this basket we stitched the ribbon handles on using buttons, and stitched some felt flowers to the front, and finished it off with a button centre.

For more inspiration on how to package Easter treats, check out our packaging ideas post and our Easter Pinterest board. 

If you are looking for a great range of ribbons, check out Ribbons Galore.

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Lined Envelopes

We love to send and receive mail the old fashioned way! One way to dress up your envelopes and add a touch of old world charm, is to line them with pretty patterned paper. 

Simply trace the outline of the envelope and flap onto a piece of contrasting paper. Cut out the outline approx 1/4 inch (5 mm) inside the traced outline. Place the paper lining inside the envelope and adhere it to the flap with double sided tape. The gummed area of the flap should be left unlined so that the envelope can be easily sealed. 

This is a great way to present special invitations.

For other envelope craft ideas, check out:

• Make a Bookmark Using an Envelope
• Self Made Envelope Stationery

Winner of XO Gigi Fabrics Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered our recent giveaway to win a $40 Gift Voucher to XO Gigi Fabrics. Our lucky winner is Beverley from My Sew Sweet Studio. We have sent you an email with details on your prize.

Don't forget to stop back on March 7th for another chance to win a XO Gigi Fabrics Gift Voucher.

Bedroom Makeover

Sponsored by Target

One of my projects this year is to give the Master Bedroom a makeover. We purchased the bedroom furniture when we were first married and the pine country cottage style was popular. The taupe quilt cover, lamps and accessories have all been in use for a long time. We want to re-fresh the bedroom and make it look more modern.

Replacing the bedroom furniture isn't in the budget just at the moment. Mr Sugar has given me free reign to decorate the bedroom as long as I steer clear of florals, pinks, and busy prints. My vision for the room is to add a lot of white - I love how fresh and cool white looks. You can add pops of colour in the accessories.

We headed to Target and found the perfect bedlinen and accessories to suit our style. We purchased a Waffle Quilt Cover Set which has a lovely texture, and added European Pillowcases from the Inga range.

Our bedside lamps were replaced with a pair of Andria Lamp Bases. Our wedding photo was relocated to a Laura frame. The bedside tables were lined with starched white cotton napkin and were the perfect place to display my kokeshi dolls (bought on a recent trip to Japan).

With Valentine's Day this week, I have decorated our bedroom with pops of red.  The breakfast tray is all ready. I added a red and white quilt to the end of the bed.

Our Bedroom looks fresh and inviting. I love the white palette and look forward to making pillows and accessories in the coming months.

If your bedroom is in need of a make over be sure to check out the extensive range at Target. They have well priced linen and accessories that are right on trend.

Heart Pot Holder

Our Heart Pot Holder design is one of our all time favourites and we have been blown away by all the wonderful comments we have had, and by the number of times the tutorial has been shared and pinned. We even had a sweet email from Verna Mosquera (who designed the pretty Pirouette fabric that we used in our tutorial). Thank you so much - our readers are the best!

Even though it has only been a few days since we posted the tutorial, we have been thrilled to see some lovely versions of our design being posted on the web. It really makes our day :)

Check out these pretty pot holders  (links below photo). The design looks so different with each fabric combination.

(From L to R) 1. Sew Can She    2. Belen Patchwork   3. Puntadas Agrupadas  4. Pitiflus

This is our original Valentine pot holder that we made back in 2011 which inspired our tutorial.

If you would like to make you own, you can follow our step-by-step photo tutorial of our Pot Holder Pattern.