Chocolate Brownies

On Friday night I had the urge to make some Chocolate Brownies so rustled up a batch. The recipe I used is one that my sister pasted to me about 15 years ago and it always goes down well with the people in this house.

Ingredients -  for the cake -  225g caster sugar                                           

                                                40g cocoa powder                                    

                                                75g self - raising flour                                

                                                0.5 tsp salt

                                                2 eggs

                                                2tbls milk

                                                100g butter

               

                        for the topping - 100g butter

                                                    150g icing sugar

                                                     60g cocoa powder

Gas Mark 4, 180c, 350f - 40 minutes

Cake

1) Stir together the sugar, cocoa, flour and salt.

2) Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour in to the dry ingredients.

3) Melt the butter and beat in to the mixture.

4) Pour in to a greased,lined square tin and bake for 40 mins.

Topping

Place the butter in a bowl and beat in the icing sugar and cocoa. If the mixture is too stiff to spread add a few drops of warm water. Spread on the cake when it is completely cool and cut into squares

Hexagon Blanket

Last night I finished the hexagon blanket that I was making for my youngest boy. I don't think that I have ever completed a blanket this fast before, I feel like I have just whizzed through it. My hands are paying for it now so I will have to lay off hooks and knitting needles for a while but then again I always say that and only manage a couple of days.

I haven't made a blanket which needed sewing together for along time, I usually crochet my bits together so I did this as I went along then it wouldn't seem so much of a chore. Most of the ends were crocheted in so I didn't need to sew them in at the end.

My youngest boy doesn't know that it is finished yet so it will be a nice surprise for him when he gets in from school and sees it on his bed though knowing what he is like, he will bring it back downstairs and wrap himself up in it on the sofa.

WIP's

After re-starting my youngest boys hexagon blanket (this time making hexagons and not pentagons), the end is almost in sight. I started to sew them together this weekend and only have 20 something more to make until I can start on the edge.

Also this weekend I tried out this diagonal crochet pattern which will eventually be made into a pillow for Little L's bed.

The tutorial for this pattern can be found here.

Drawing Journal

Yesterday a book I had been waiting for arrived, this drawing journal. Having not taken art at school, I think that my kind of drawing is considered more of a doodle or child like so I purchased this in the hope that I may improve. Also with the book being focused towards nature, it will encourage me to leave the house more even to sit in my own garden, which I hardly ever do.

I love the art work on the book which is also sprinkled throughout. It's not a step by step drawing book but the first part does feature some drawing exercises with the most of the book being pages to fill with your own sketches.

I'm looking forward to the weather picking up a bit so I can go off outside with my book and pencils.

Spring Flower Garland

After taking down my last garland ( a Christmassy one ), I was now faced with an empty space again in my hall so this week I decided to make another. This time one with flowers to remind me that Spring isn't too far away.

Materials

Felt - 2 different shades in pink, green and blue and 1 shade in yellow

Embroidery Threads

Beads

Buttons

A length of ribbon or binding to attach the flowers

I cut the flower shapes from the pink felt then using a contrasting shade of embroidery thread, sewed around each shape in running stitch. The flower middles were cut from yellow felt using pinking shears then all the pieces were stacked on top of each other, a button was placed in the centre then sewn together as in the photo.

Small circles were cut from the contrasting shades of blue felt then I snipped out tiny triangles around each circle to make it look more flower like. These were then placed on top of each other with a bead in the centre, then sewn together.

The leaf shapes were sewn together using a contrasting thread.

I wanted to place the blue flowers and leaves in a little cluster and as the binding I was using was quite narrow, I positioned all the pieces onto a small piece of felt then sewed them on. When I had finished I snipped off the excess felt.

The flowers were attached to the binding by sewing the larger flowers through the button and the flower clusters were sewn on through the felt holding the cluster together.