52 Weeks Happy (8/52)

So another Tuesday has rolled around pretty fast!  When your living your days in 4 hour blocks they fly by pretty fast.  Here are a few things that have been making me happy this week.

1 - Miss Imogen has been on solids for a week now and I have been making her food. I am feeling pretty earth mothery whipping up all her little meals.  Gourmet feasts they are not but it still makes me feel good!

2 - I started my sew for victory skirt last week.  It is actually quite close to being finished but it will still probably take me a week to get it done in nap times.

3 - My cardigan that I am working on is quite close to being finished.  Since this photo was taken I have very nearly finished one sleeve.  So it's just the sleeves, blocking & button band to go.  I am so excited to see how this turns out.

4 & 5 - I always love being in the kitchen and my new ipad makes working off recipes online so much easier.  And when the finished product is as gorgeous as this choc mint cake then that is even better.

6 - I finally finished my tie shorts right in time for the crap weather we have been experiencing so unfortunately I haven't been able to wear them much.  But it still makes me happy that they are done and I can move onto my next projects.

7 - Miss Imogen and her gorgeous eyes always make me happy!

8 - Rainbows are a current obsession of mine so I couldn't resist a pic of this cardigan rainbow in SES on the weekend.  So happy & cheerful!

9 - Mum's baking is the best baking in the world! This banana cake and a cup of tea was the perfect end to a great weekend.  I am going to try and get the recipe off her to share with you guys because it is amazing.

But by far the happiest thing to happen this week is that my darling sister and her fiance have moved back to the GC for this year.  They have been living in Melbourne for a year and before that they were in London so it is going to be nice to have her home for longer than a month.  She is getting married in November and then they have plans to head back overseas next year so I am going to be soaking up as much sister time as I can while she is here.

So what has been happening to make you happy this week?

Chocolate Chip Mint Layer Cake

This past weekend my sister arrived home from living in Melbourne for the past year and I decided to give myself the weekend off my diet because I reached my first goal. After the sad events of the last week I decided we all needed some cake so I picked one I had saved in my pinterest cooking board and whipped it up.

The recipe for this cake can be found here.  The only change I made was to do 3 layers as I used a smaller cake pan and the batter fit in 3 tins instead of 2.  One tip if you are going to make this recipe is that the icing is very very sweet so try to only do a thin layer.

But in saying that  this cake was gobbled up by my family very quick so it must not have been too bad. So if you are looking for a cake to whip up this weekend that not only looks good but tastes good give this one a try.

Tie Waist Shorts

These shorts were one of the quickest sewing projects I have done in a while.  All in all I think the total sewing time for them would only have been a couple of hours.  Unfortunately, I squeeze my sewing along with knitting & household chores into Imogen's nap times so they actually ended up taking me a couple of weeks to complete.  I am so glad I managed to finish them though even if summer is nearly over.  Hopefully the warm weather sticks around for a little while longer so I can have a chance to wear them a few more times.  Please excuse the wrinkles in these photos! I had been wearing the shorts all day before Corey got home to help me take photos.

The pattern I used for these is Simplicity 1887 which I spied on a friends instagram feed a few months ago and straight away knew I needed.  I picked the pattern and fabric up before Christmas but didn't let myself start on these until I finished my watermelon outfit.  I am pretty in love with these shorts!  They have a flat front waistband with an elastic back which makes them a cinch to make and fit.  I really like the detail provided by the pleats at the front although they get a bit lost in this patterned fabric.

I think I might need to make myself another pair.  Next time I would like to make them in a wintery fabric.  I am thinking possibly a grey tweed pair.  I think they would look great with this top and some black tights.  I'll just add that to my to do list shall I!

A Sad Goodbye

I have been debating whether or not to write about this but I wanted to share the sad news with you guys.  Yesterday my parents had to have our adorable little Roxy put to sleep.  She had been a bit slow the past week or so so they took her to the vet.  It was discovered that she had cancer in her spleen.  It had ruptured and bled into her stomach and was causing her a lot of pain.  The nicest thing to do was to put her to sleep.  To say I was devastated when I heard the news would be a major understatement.  I loved this dog with all my heart.  We spoilt her like crazy.  She had a rough life before we adopted her and we made sure to make up for it.  She was the craziest, funniest dog in the world.  I loved when I would get to mum and dad's and she would "talk" to me.  We would curl up in the corner of the lounge together.  She would lay all over my knitting and climb all over my in an effort to get more snuggles.  She was the greatest dog in the world!  I am absolutely shattered that she is gone but I know it was the best thing to do.  I hope she is happy now and in a better place even though I will miss her with all my heart!

52 Weeks Happy (7/52)

I hope you all had a great week last week.  I know I did!  It was topped off by a lovely chat on twitter last night with a few sewing bloggers.  If your on twitter I have started getting back into using my account so jump on and add me.  My twitter name is @pettisnpeplums.  Let me know your twitter name in the comments so I can follow you too.  Anyway, onto what has been making me happy this week.

1 - Happiness is hanging out with my mummy's group and seeing the babies start to interact now that they are a little older.

2 - Happiness is relaxing on the lounge with a cup of tea after a long day.

3 - Happiness is having a husband who absolutely spoilt me on Valentine's Day with a new ipad.

4 - Happiness is spending the weekend baking especially when the cake you are baking is this pretty.

5 - Happiness is cutting the first slice of cake and having the insides look this impressive.

6 - Happiness is watching Imogen experience new things even if she isn't a great fan.  She is getting better with food now though.

7 - Happiness is spending a day at the ice skating rink with Corey's family.  They are a lot of fun to be around!

So how was your week?  What has been happening to make you happy?

Rainbow Sprinkle Cake

If you follow me on instagram then you would have seen that I was working on a cake over the weekend.  It was my niece's 17th birthday yesterday and my sister-in-law asked me if I could make her a cake.  Of course I jumped at the chance.  Any excuse to bake and I am in!  She requested a rainbow cake and I decided to try out a sprinkle covered cake as well that I had been wanting to do for a while.  I was a little bit excited to finally get a chance to try it.

After covering the cake I decided it needed a little added touch so I made a quick fondant bow to go around it too.  I think it just makes it look a little bit more interesting.

Cutting this cake was the most nerve wracking thing I have ever done.  All I could think was if this cake doesn't look good inside I am going to be devastated.  But the collective gasp from my niece's friends as I cut out the first slice made it all worthwhile.  I love how this cake turned out! It has got to be one of my cake making highlights.

The other great thing about making a rainbow cake is how pretty the whole process looks.  Heres a few pics I shared on instagram that you may have missed.

I really hope I get another chance to make a rainbow cake because they are so much fun!  Or maybe next time I will do an ombre one.  That would be fun too!

4 Months

Oh how I love that cheeky little smile!  Imogen is such a smily happy baby.  We are really are very lucky to have been blessed with such a carefree little girl.  She grows bigger and bigger by the day.  It blows my mind how fast this past 4 months ago.  Last valentines day I spent the day in bed feeling like death from morning sickness and no one knew I was pregnant yet.  Now here I am with a 4 month old daughter.  What has happened to the time???  We started swimming lessons this past month.  Imogen was amazing on her very first lesson but the next few have been a bit rough.  She is getting better though so fingers crossed she starts to love the water.  She is an absolute drool machine and won't stop munching on poor Sophie the Giraffe's head.  The nurse said to me yesterday the she is definitely teething so we may see that first tooth pop up in the next few weeks.  I am absolutely loving life with my little monkey.  She is an absolute joy to spend my days with!

Happy Valentines Day!

Just wanted to pop in and wish all my darling readers a very happy valentines day.  I love being a part of this little blogging community.  I have made so many lovely friends via this blog.  I hope you are all having a lovely day with your loved ones.  You guys are my cup of tea!

Sewalongs & Dares

There are a couple of sew-a-longs happening in the blog world at the moment that I have decided to take part in.  First up is Lucky Lucille's 40s sew-a-long.  My inspiration for this comes from this pinafore skirt by NudeeDudee on etsy.

The second sew-a-long I am taking part in is the second round of Julia Bobbin's Mad Men sew-a-long.  I wanted to take part in this last year but being pregnant completely diminished my sewing mojo.  This year though I am pumped and ready!  I am wanting to recreate the dress below worn by Joan.  I am still investigating patterns.  I have one in my stash that might work but I would have to change the skirt and also convert the bodice into a button up which I am not sure if I can do.  I might need to do a practice run and see if I can figure it out.  Otherwise if anyone has any pattern suggestions let me know.

Lastly, I have been issued with a sewing dare by the lovely Gillian over at Crafting A Rainbow.  She has been sending dares out to bloggers via twitter and her blog so if you are interested in getting a challenge pop on over and ask.  My sewing dare is to sew myself a dress and then use the same fabric to make something (clothing or accessory) for Imogen.  I am pretty stoked on this dare as I realised the other day I have been a massively slack mother and not sewn Imogen any clothes yet.  She is alredy 4 months! I need to get sewing for her.  I have picked out my fabric and a pattern for my dress.  I think for Imogen's dress I am just going to draft a bodice off one of her other dresses and do a gathered skirt but those plans may change.  We'll just have to wait and see.

So are any of you taking part in these sewalongs?  Let me know if you are so I can check out your progress on your blogs.

52 Weeks Happy (6/52)

This week there has been a lot making me happy!  They are all simple pleasures and probably those things that we usually take for granted so this week I decided to highlight them.

1 - I had a pomegranate for the first time ever this week.  It was delicious and so pretty!

2 - As much as I complain about going to the gym it actually does make me feel good.  I have started the couch to 5k again as we are doing the colour run in April.

3 - Morning snuggles with my little monkey are my favourite time of the day.

4 - I have been making some buntings for my little business venture that I have just launched on facebook.

5 - This week I have started reading to Imogen every afternoon.  She has an epic collection of books already which I love so we are slowly working our way through them.

6 - Of course Corey's smiling face always makes me happy!  He is most definitely my biggest motivator and I love him to pieces.

7 - Imogen & I have been wearing as much pink and red as we can to celebrate love month.

8 - This past weekend we took advantage of the gorgeous weather on the GC and Corey's first Saturday off in ages and headed out to watch the ironman series.  It was a lovely family day!

9 - Of course I forgot to take Imogen's hat (like always) so I made her wear Corey's so she didn't get sunburnt.  Dressing her up in big people's things makes me super duper happy!

Okay so as I mentioned above I have recently launched a business page on facebook for a little business idea that I have been thinking about for a little while.  I finally bit the bullet and got over my fear of failure and jumped into getting it started.  Petticoats & Peplums is an event prop & dessert/lolly buffet hire business servicing from Brisbane to Byron Bay.  Please pop over to my facebook page and check it out and if you know anyone who might be interested please share it around.  Your support is greatly appreciated!

Valentines Week Roundup

Well Valentines Week has come and go in a flash!  I had so much fun with Valentines Week and sharing some tutorials with you all.  Thank you to everyone who left comments this week.  It is really encouraging to see an idea like this be well received by my readers.  I am already getting excited for my next week feature later in the year.  But right now I just wanted to do a quick roundup of Valentines Week for anyone who may have missed some of the posts.

1 - Love Heart Leggings - these were by far the most popular post of the week and I think I will need to make another pair in mini for Imogen.

2 - Love Heart Sandwich Cookies - a super cute and easy gift for valentines day.

3 - Cross Stitch Heart Necklace - a gorgeous piece of jewelry to make and wear on valentines day.

4 - Love Shirt - if you are looking for a instant gratification project this is it. So quick to make and gives an awesome result!

5 - Free Valentines Printable - a light hearted printable for valentines day which you can download for free!

6 - Simple Cupcake Toppers - these adorable cupcake toppers can be be customised for any occasion.

7 - Matching Heart Headbands - I love our matching headbands by judging by the look on Imogen's face she may not be as much of a fan ;-)

So I hope you guys enjoyed valentines week!  If you make anything using my tutorials please let me know so I can check them out on your blog.

Valentines Week - Love Heart Headband

I can’t believe it isthe end of Valentine’s Week already. This week has just flown by and it’s only a few days until Valentine’sDay. This last DIY is a super cuteone! I made Imogen and I matchingheadbands. Now I know that isprobably super cheesy but I also think it’s a bit cute. Although she does look a lot betterthan me in her headband.

So to make one ofthese you will need the following

Red & pink felt

Stretch elastic

Pins

Pen

Large & smallheart cookie cutter

Tape measure

Needle

Embroidery thread

Scissors

1 – Measure your head(or whoevers head you are making this for). Minus 1 inch and cut a piece of elastic that size. Sew your ends together. Don’t worry about thread colour orneatness as this will be hidden in the end.

2 – Trace your heartcookie cutters onto your felt. Youare going to need 2 large hearts and 1 small heart. Cut around your outlines.

3 – Using thecontrasting thread stitch your small heart on top of one of your large hearts.

4 – Sandwich yourelastic between your two large hearts with the join of the elastic hiddenbetween the two hearts.

5 – Stitch around yourlarge hearts with the contrasting thread. Make sure you catch the elastic when stitching around the top and bottomof the heart. And your all done!

Isn’t that the easiestthing ever!!! And just remember aswith all my other DIY’s this week these are easily customisable to anyoccasion. I think one would looksuper cute for a little birthday girl with the number that she is turning. I might have to file that idea away andremember it for Miss Imogen’s first birthday.

Valentines Week - Simple Cupcake Toppers

A quick way to dress up some simple cupcakes is with some quick cupcake toppers.  The best part about these cupcakes is that the toppers can be customised to suit any occasion.  These are so quick and easy to make and are a great way to try working with fondant if you haven’t ever done it before.

First choose your favourite cupcakes and whip up a batch.  I used my favourite recipe for rose water cupcakes that I shared once before here.  I love that these taste like musk but if you aren’t a fan of musk the rosewater can be swapped out for violet water or orange blossom.  You will need 18 cupcakes iced in buttercream,.  You will also need white fondant, pink fondant, a small heart cutter, a small scalloped cutter and letter embossers.

1 - Roll your white fondant out to about 1/8 of an inch thick and cut out 18 scalloped rounds.  Set these aside on a plate covered in paper towel. 

2 – Roll out your pink fondant to 1/8 inch thick.  Emboss your letters on at a time then using your heart cutter a heart shape with the letter in the centre.

3 – Use a small paintbrush to brush a little water into the centre of your first white round.  Place a heart shape on top.  The water will help the fondant pieces to stick together.  Repeat with the remainder of your hearts.

4 – Place each heart on top of a cupcake and arrange your cupcakes to spell out a message.

Now present them to your better half for Valentine’s Day or leave them as a surprise for your crush with a note from their secret admirer.  These cupcakes are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face this Valentine’s Day.

Valentines Week - Free Printable

Today I have a free valentines printable for you all.  I have been having loads of fun making printables and playing with photoshop (which I actually got for valentines day 2 years ago but have yet to properly learn how to use).  This printable is a bit light and fun for valentines day.

Now I love cupcakes! They are one of my most favourite things in the world.  So for me to say I love you more than cupcakes is a pretty big thing.  I am sure there are few others out there in blog world who could say the same thing.  This printable is 5 x 7 and would look perfect in a cute little frame.  Or you could print it out and make it into a card for your loved on for valentines day.  The choice is all yours!  I will be adding mine into our cluster wall I think.  It seems like the perfect printable to have in the kitchen!

To download your copy of this printable simply click here.

Valentines Week - Love Shirt

This shirt was my first idea when I decided I was going to do Valentine’s Week.  This diy could be adapted to any occasion and doesn’t just have to be for Valentine’s Day.  Simply change the phrase you are putting on the shirt.  Or even use a picture.  So do you want to make yourself a love shirt?  Then this is what you will need.

T-shirt

Fabric Paint

Tracing Paper – I used clover brand from the Spotlight quilting department.

Pen

Stencil – print whatever phrase you would like on your shirt on a A4 piece of paper.  I used the font Edwardian Script which comes standard with word for Mac.

Cardboard (not pictured)

Place tracing paper colour side down on your tshirt and your stencil on top.  Using your pen (I like to use it without the point popped out) firmly trace over your stencil.  When you lift the stencil and tracing paper you will  be left with a faint outline of your word.

Slide your cardboard into your shirt so it is behind your word.  This will stop the paint bleeding through.  Now using your fabric paint simply trace over this outline.  Take it slowly and go section by section.  This will help you to keep your hand steady and your lines even.  Refer to your fabric paint regarding drying time.  Mine said to dry flat for 24 hours.

Now your ready to rock your new t-shirt!  It’s as simple as that.  This would be a really good way to revamp old tshirts that you don’t wear anymore as well.  If you are confident with your painting abilities you could do a whole picture on your shirt.  The options are only as limited as your imagination!