Maria Dress Pattern

A few people have been asking about the pattern I used to make my Maria Dress.  There has been a bit of confusion because of my sudden bout of dyslexia when I was writing the post.  The pattern is Simplicity 3780 not 3078 like I said.  Sorry about that!

This is the pattern above.  It is a super easy pattern to use and very easy to modify.  It's a great one to add to the collection.  I hope that clears everything up!

A to Z of Me

I have seen this little quiz floating around on a few blogs and thought it would be fun to do.  If you do it too let me know in the comments so I can check it out.

 

A. Age: 23, I will be 24 in October although I have already been telling people I am 24.
B. Bed size: Double!!! It sucks. We desperately need a bigger bed. I think it should be our first purchase after the wedding is paid off.
C. Chore that you hate: Dishes.  Everything else around the house gets done easily but our dishes always pile up.  We need a dishwasher bad.
D. Dogs: Love them!!! I desperately want a bulldog puppy but we aren't allowed dogs in our house.
E. Essential start to your day: Cup of tea.  If I don't have a cup of tea with my breakfast it throws my whole day off.
F. Favourite color: Yellow and pink. They are so bright and cheerful.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver. Gold looks hideous on me.  My wedding ring is white gold.
H. Height: 171cm (5'7")
I. Instruments you play: I played violin and trumpet up until grade 9.  I want to start playing something again but I am not sure what.
J. Job title: Events Coordinator
K. Kids: Not yet...
L. Live: Gold Coast, Australia
M. Mother's name: Laurie-anne
N. Nicknames: Kat, Kitty Kat, Sultana
O. Overnight hospital stays: Never.  I had knee surgery a few years ago but it was day surgery.
P. Pet peeve: Bad drivers.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Sea Monkey Took My Money" from Nemo
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: 1 sister who is older than me by 19 months.
T. Time you wake up: 6am on weekdays and around 7pm on the weekends.
U. Underwear: Um, yes...I don't really get this question.
V. Vegetable you hate: Peas and Beans
W. What makes you run late: When I get distracted playing in my sewing room
X. X-Rays you've had: My chest as a kid, my teeth recently and my knee a few years ago.  I also had an MRI on my knee.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Cakes & cupcakes
Z. Zoo animal: Elephant or Meerkats

My New Vintage Dress

A few people said they were interested in seeing my new vintage dress I bought from Kitty's Vintage & Kitsch when we went up the mountain the other week.  I managed to convince Corey to take a few photos for me on Sunday before we went to the Farmers Markets.

Excuse the dodgy picture.  It was very early in the morning especially for a Sunday.  I was so happy that it was good weather that day though so I could crack out my new dress.  This week it has gone back to being really windy and little too cold.  Hopefully that won't last long because I am really looking forward to some Spring weather.

The Maria Dress

The second thing I managed to do over the weekend was finish a dress I have been working on since the start of the year.  I cut this out before we went overseas but never got around to sewing it up.  Last Saturday I finally sat down and started and this Saturday I finished it.

I used Simplicity 3780 which I used to make my hawaiian dress last year (posted on my old blog).  I have one more idea for a dress that I could like to make with this pattern and then I will stop.  I think 3 of the same dress will be enough don't you.

I am calling this the Maria Dress because my friend Maria loves the colour purple and every time I see it I think of her.  I am trying to add a few different colours into my sewing because I noticed the other day I tend to use pink, white, red and black quite a lot.  I am thinking more yellows and greens are in order.  Although I do have a couple more red things up my sleeve.

I am really happy with the inside of this dress.  The bodice is lined so I decided to make the skirt and everything as neat as possible too.  I get a quiet sense of satisfaction wearing a dress that I know looks just a good on the inside as it does on the outside.

I haven't been sewing nearly as much as I would like to be so I am really hoping to change that for the rest of the year.  I have a list of things I want to make for Christmas presents and for myself for Summer so hopefully I can get cracking and have some more sewing projects to show you soon.

Jeans Refashion

This weekend was a busy one for us.  My most productive day was Saturday because Corey spent it out on the boat with his mates and I managed to get a bit of sewing and knitting done as well as a little bit of housework.  The first thing I did was a quick refashion I have been wanting to do for a while.

I bought these jeans on sale from Sportsgirl a couple of years ago and loved them but I don't tend to wear bootleg jeans anymore.  I have been wanting to make them into skinnys for ages but haven't gotten around to it.  Finally on Saturday I spent about an hour pinning, sewing, repinning and resewing to turn them into these....

I am pretty happy with how they turned out.  Even Corey was impressed!  He thought I had bought new jeans so when I told him they were old ones I refashioned he was pretty shocked.  I think he was happier I hadn't spent any money then in my sewing skills.  Now I am going to be on the lookout for more pants to refashion when I go op shopping next.

Oreo Truffles

Last night Maria came around for dinner and I decided to make oreo truffles for dessert.  If you live in Australia oreo's are on special at Woolworths for $1 at the moment so if you want to make these get in quick and stock up on oreos.  I think I might buy a few more and keep them for Christmas so I can make these again.

All you need is 2 x 150g packs of oreos, 250g cream cheese and some white chocolate.  I used white chocolate melts because they were also on special but you can use whatever you like.  I used this whole packet to cover my truffles.

First, you need to crush your oreos into a powder.  I used a stick blender but if you don't have one you could always put the oreos in a snap lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Then chuck it all in a bowl and mix together with your cream cheese till you get the consistency above.

Then you need to roll the mixture into balls.  I had a bowl of water and wet my hands every now and then to stop the mixture sticking to my fingers.  Once you have made all your truffles melt your white chocolate and use to coat the truffles.  I just dropped each truffle into the chocolate and used a couple of small spoons to roll them around and make sure they were coated.

Once they are coated line them up on a tray and pop them in the fridge.  At the last minute I decided to add some sprinkles on top for a bit more colour.

I had mine in the fridge all day but I think a couple of hours would be plenty.  These are so quick and easy to make and super tasty.  I made mine before I went to work yesterday and I think they took me about 20 minutes.  If you want a quick easy dessert that is also delicious give these a try!

Orange Butter Cake

About a week ago the father of one of the ladies I work with passed away.  Today she is coming back to work so in an effort to make her feel loved to show her that we were thinking of her I decided to make her a cake.  I wasn't really sure if it was appropriate but it is the best way I  could think of to show her I was thinking of her.  I made Orange Butter Cake and it smells delicious.  Hopefully it tastes just as delicious.

Orange Butter Cake from Australian Women's Weekly Bake

150g butter softened
1 tbs grated orange rind
2/3 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 tbs orange juice

Preheat oven to 180*C/160*C fan forced.  Grease a deep 20cm round cake pan.

Beat butter, caster sugar, rind, eggs, flour and milk in medium bowl at low speed until combined.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes or unti mixture is smooth and changed to a paler colour.  Spread mixture in pan.

Bake cake for about 40 minutes.  Stand cake in pan for 5 minutes before turning onto rack to cool.

Combine sifted icing sugar and orange juice in small bowl and spread over cooled cake.

Enjoy with a cup of tea and some good company!

Cream Crochet Necklace

I have had this pattern saved in my ravelry queue since April 2010 and I have only just gotten around to making it now.  I saved it back when I first decided I wanted to learn how to crochet then I kept putting off learning because I was scared I would fail.  I am so glad that I finally got around to learning because now I can make all those projects I have saved.

Pattern: Ruffled Crochet Bib Necklace by Stephanie Fail
Yarn: Marvel 8 ply
Hook: 4mm (G)
Start/End Date: 15th September/15th September

This necklace was so quick and easy to make and used hardly any wool.  I think it took me about 2 hours from start to finish.  I used some scrap wool that I had in the stash that is just a basic 8 ply from Spotlight.  I think I might make a couple more of these to pop in with some Christmas presents.  Yes, I am already thinking about Christmas crafting.  With the wedding in November I figured I better get started early.  I have already made 1 thing and have another half made.  I have my list of presents written out and hopefully I manage to get them all done.  Fingers crossed!

Daily Style - New/Old Skirt

This weekend felt like summer had arrived on the Gold Coast.  I hate how it basically goes from Winter to Summer without any mention of Spring because Spring is really my favourite season.  Anyway, enough complaining!  It was a gorgeous day yesterday and we had a great day too.

Top - Kmart

Belt - Valley Girl

Skirt - DIY

Cardigan - Valley Girl

Shoes - Primark

We got up nice and early to go to the farmers markets and collect our fruit and veges for the week and have some breakfast.  It was a little cool hence the cardigan but it was gone by about 7am.  Then we went out to Albert River for our final details meeting with our wedding planner.  Then we went up the mountain for some lunch at Eagle Heights Hotel and of course we couldn't go up the mountain without stopping in to visit the lovely Kitty's Vintage Kitsch.

Because I have been so good with my non spending for the wedding Corey said that I could pick out one dress from the shop.  I found the most perfect little yellow summer dress but you will have to wait until next time to see that one.  This skirt I am wearing I made about 2 years ago and I have worn it to death.  I was getting a little tired of it but didn't want to throw it out so instead I bought some broiderie anglaise trim and attached it to the bottom.  Now my old skirt is new again!

And speaking of how good I have been with not spending.  I have also been super good with my stash busting.  I made myself a deal that I wasn't allowed to buy anymore wool until I used a quarter of my stash.  I had to use 10 balls of wool before buying more and the other day when I had counted I had used up 13.5.  So I went out and bought myself 3 balls of wool to make a little shrug for the wedding.  Now that I have used a quarter of my stash I am going to make myself alternate with 1 project from the stash and 1 project from new yarn.  Since it is coming up to Christmas there are a few things I want to make with new yarn so this way I will still be stashbusting as well!

Cheshire Cat Blanket

A little more stash busting has been taking place at my house this week.  I have managed to use up a few more balls of wool on this darling little hooded blanket.

Pattern: Hoodie Baby Blanket by The Thrifty Knitter

Yarn: Marvel 8 ply

Needle: 5mm straights

Start/End Date: September 4th/September 15th

I love the stripes! They remind me of the cheshire cat hence the name. Can't you just imagine how cute it would look with a newborn all swaddled up inside.  But apparently Corey's family can only birth boys.  Out of 13 kids in Corey's family there are only 4 girls.   Those are not good odds!  So into the gift box this blanket will go until someone has a little girl that it can be gifted to.

I blocked the crap out of this blanket but for some reason the hood still rolls.  I didn't do any edging cause I ran out of yarn and I didn't want to buy anymore.  That would just defeat the purpose of stash busting!  So I have decided to let it go and embrace the imperfection.  I think it's cute with or without the rolling!  This was a bit of a mindless knit being basically a stockinette square so I think I might need to make something a little bit more interesting for my next project.  Stockinette is a bit boring after a while!

Grace's Cupcake Apron

Yesterday was my cousin's daughters 5th birthday and we celebrated with a barbecue at Burleigh Beach.  Burleigh Beach has got to be one of the nicest beaches on the Gold Coast but it was so damn windy and cold it was a bit of a bummer.  But Grace had fun riding her new bike up and down the footpath and that is all that matters.

 

If Grace turns out anything like her mother she is going to be an amazing cook and have a great love of food.  So, to foster that love of food I decided to make her an apron so she can start helping her mum in the kitchen.

I used this tutorial and just changed the neck strap a little.  Instead of using a d ring to make the strap adjustable I put a button on the inside of the apron and a few button holes on the strap.

I paired the apron with a set of alphabet cookie cutters.  Grace is starting prep next year and I figured learning letters and spelling is going to be a lot more fun if you can learn with cookies.  I know I would prefer to learn that way!    I had so much fun making this birthday present that I am hoping to make a few Christmas presents this year too but with the wedding I don't know if I will have much time.  I have made a list though so hopefully I can get a few done.  Fingers crossed!

Oreo Cupcakes

 

I have been wanting to try these cupcakes out for so long so when I had leftover oreos from dad's Fathers Day cheesecake I knew I had to make them.  Leftover oreos isn't a phrase you hear very often so I knew I had to hide these so they wouldn't get eaten before they made it into the cupcakes.  Luckily, Corey left them alone till last night when I started baking.

 

These are the easiest cupcakes to make.  You simply chuck half an oreo into the bottom of your cupcake cases and then top them with your favourite chocolate cake batter and cook as directed.  Pretty simple!

The only thing I found with these was that the cookies stay quite crunchy in the bottom of the cupcakes.  I was expecting them to go a bit more soft.  I think next time I will out a small amount of batter in then my cookie then some more butter.  That way I think the cookies will be a bit more squishy when you eat them.  They are still good though.  Now I am off to take these cupcakes to my cousin's daughters birthday party this afternoon.  I hope everyone enjoys them!

I'm Number 3!

Remember that competition I entered the other week....I came third! I was pretty excited.  I didn't expect to win anything at all so third was a nice surprise.  You don't get anything for third just a certificate but that is still ok.  I only went in it for fun anyway.  I think next year I am going to enter the same category and try to do better.   Now that I have gotten over my initial fear of entering competitions I might enter some more soon.  I wonder what competitions are floating around the blogosphere?

Plain Pattern Project #1

So the plain pattern project sew-a-long has started off very plain.  I made the first version of my pattern over the weekend with some thin cotton fabric I had in my stash.  I have had it for ages so I don't really remember what sort of fabric it is but it is really soft and light.

 

My pattern was vintage Butterick 2396 which I shared on my first PPP post here.  This pattern suits this sew-a-long perfectly because it is very plain indeed.  It has very little shaping to the body.  The best feature of this top are the buttons that run down the back.  This is actually what drew me to this pattern in the first place.

Even though it looks boring as bat shit on the coat hanger it looks a lot better on.  Here is how I wore it to work today.

 

I already have plans for my next two versions and I think they will both turn out heaps better than this version.  Even though this version is still wearable it is a little plain and boring for my tastes.  For my next versions I think I will adjust the shaping and fit quite a bit.  I also have some great ideas of how to take this pattern from plain and boring to fun & exciting.  

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

For Father's Day we went around to my parents house for dinner.  Mum made the most delicious roti & curry and I was in charge of dessert.  Cheesecake is one of dad's favourite desserts so it wasn't had to decided what to make.  I have made this cheesecake once before and shared it on my old blog but it is that good I had to share it again.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake
Australian Woman's Weekly
Preparation time 20 minutes (plus refrigeration time)
cooking time 5 minutes
serves 12

250g plain chocolate biscuits
150g butter, melted
2 teaspoons gelatine
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1.5 cups (360g) packaged cream cheese, softened
300ml thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
180g white eating chocolate, melted
150g cream-filled chocolate biscuits (Oreos), quartered
50g dark eating chocolate, melted

1. Line base of 23cm springform tin with bakin paper.

2. Blend or process plain chocolate biscuits until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add butter; process until just combined. Using hand, press biscuit mixture evenly over base and 3cm up side of prepared tin, cover; refrigerate for 20 minutes.

3. Sprinkle gelatine over the water in a small heatproof jug; stand jug in small saucepan of simmering water. Stir until gelatine dissolves; cool 5 minutes.

4. Beat cheese, cream, extract and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in gelatine mixture and white chocolate; fold in quartered biscuits.
Pour cheesecake mixture over biscuit mixture in tin, cover; refrigerate about 3 hours or until set. Drizzle with dark chocolate to serve.  Enjoy xo