Crochet/Photo/Creativity Fun

BELOW:  
I have been having so much fun lately taking photos of the things that inspire me and pasting the photos together in InstaCollage. InstaCollage is an app on my I-Phone.  I am enjoying gathering inspiration.  As in this photo I love the idea of the cushion that was sewn and given touches of embroidery writing and a crochet heart. 
I love the way the cake was presented on a plate at a quaint little coffee shop.  
Love the beautiful saying I saw on a wall in a clothing store.
Two pretty cushions in a basket - so simple yet so pretty.  That would look lovely in a lounge, on a patio, bedroom.

ABOVE:
Crochet - I'm busy with the blocks in the corner for a traditional Granny Square blanket for my youngest daughter's bed. The photo on the right hand side top, is what it will look like when sewn together.  Bottom left hand side photo, is that of a cushion I crocheted for my eldest daughter last year.  I love this cushion, the bright colours against the grey, I could steal it for my bed!! Guess I will have to crochet another one.  Tea cozies are my new designs.... "Just having Fun"!

I only crocheted the cushion in this photo.  The remaining 3 photographs are items of inspiration I saw in a shop!!

ABOVE:
Saturday morning out with my hubby and daughters in Linden!

ABOVE:  I just love the way they grouped the rock roses together with the some other succulents and the Hypoestes phyllostachya(which I just call "The Pinkie Plant").

I love this idea - succulents planted in large enamel bowls.  LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!  Maybe my Easter weekend project.  

It has been such a long time since I have been here and had any inspiration to write, create and post a blog.  I left a very stressful job at the end of last year which left little room for creativity, relaxation and let alone writing blogs.  I was tired, sick and very stressed out. No one should ever stay in a job that is draining and strips you of your self confidence and joy.  I work for myself from home now doing bookkeeping for clients, it is a quiet job and has allowed the calm to return into my life.  I must say, I am slowly but surely finding my energy returning and here I am sitting at my computer, with the view of my garden on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon in Johannesburg about to send you some inspirational photos and creations.  Fortunately, I have not stopped crocheting and still love the joy it brings.  I love baking and the desire for that has also slowly started creeping back into my life.

BAKING MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD - A FAMILY FAVOURITE                                          

A MORNING OUTING WITH MY ELDEST DAUGHTER, GATHERING INSPIRATION AND FILLING THE JOY TANK!

CROCHETING - OLD FASHIONED STYLE GRANNY SQUARE CROCHET BLANKET,  TEA COZY DELIGHTS

I leave you with my motto for 2013!

Plumberry Jam

BOTTLED STRAWBERRY JAM

Making Strawberry and Plum Jam OR Plumberry Jam

1.  Wash the strawberries and remove the stems.
2.  Weigh the fruit and use equivalent  Sugar for fruit weight. (Eg 500g Sugar to 500g Fruit)

3.  Place the fruit and sugar in alternate layers in a saucepan.  Leave overnight.
4.  Heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar has dissolved.  Do not boil before all the sugar has dissolved.
5.  Boil for 20 minutes, turn of heat, blend with hand blender if finer jam is required.

6.  Cook for further 10 minutes.
Test the jam.  Jam should fall from spoon in flakes and not in separate drops.
Jam should be thick when cold.

PLUM JAM

Method as for Strawberry Jam.

PLUMBERRY JAM

Method as for Strawberry Jam.  Can go half plums, half strawberries or even 2/3rds plums and 1/3rd strawberries.

When plum /Strawberry jam is made, the taste is sweet with a hint of strawberries, very nice!

Love is in the Aire with Dale!

As with all affairs, you never quite expected it to happen... it just did.  I'm totally inlove with my newly aquired Airedale, Simba.  He is just soooo cute and extremely loving.  He loves cuddling and is playful when the cuddle sessions are over.  He shows me lots of love with his sharp little teeth.  He loves tea from a saucer after I am finished with mine, snoozes on the couch and stealing my balls of wool when I am busy crocheting.  

I have much to share with you in terms of my crocheting as I have just had a wonderful 3 week holiday of which 2 of the weeks I spent with my parents in beautiful Port Elizabeth.  Much inspirational juices were stirred up while on holiday and much crocheting again.

I am busy crocheting a jersey for myself, will post the end results very soon.

Lv Janine and Simba ♥

Fathers Day

Tomorrow is Fathers Day when we spoil, acknowledge and honour our dads.

I was very blessed to grow up in a home with a dad and a mom.  My dad worked for Eskom for many years and so our life was very stable and secure.  I had a very happy childhood and many conversations were held around the family dinner table. 

My dad loves gardening.  When we were children, come weekends, he would mow the lawn and gather us girls to help when this task was being done.  We either had to rake or hold the dustbin bag open for him to empty the grass cuttings into from grass catcher.  We would often perch ourselves up on the big rock in the garden and loose sight of what we were supposed to do or play with Sheba our Border Collie while waiting to be summoned.  :-) I think my love for gardening developed at a very young age as I spent many hours in the garden either alone or with my dad.  We were often asked to water the garden.  I know how important it is now, I’ll come home from work to find my poor plants bedraggled from thirst!

Holidaying was always much fun for us as a family as it was then that my dad really got to relax and be himself.  He loved going for early morning walks on holiday and generally I would always go walking with him.  I was an early riser then.  Most of our walks were on the Natal coast, Clansthal and then Amanzimtoti when my parents purchased a holiday flat there.  I remember the early morning smells of the Frangipani flowers, seeing big snails and just enjoying the holiday and change of scenery.  I remember one year there had been a flood in Natal and a lot of debris had washed up on the beach at Amanzimtoti.  My dad has an eye to turn something out of nothing.  We collected the most amazing driftwood and carried this lot up to the holiday flat.  I remember laughing so much from the weight of the wood that both my dad and myself had to put it down to stop laughing.  When we arrived back at the flat with all this driftwood, my mom would give us a look and say something like “Ag no, what you going to do with all that wood”.  My dad had plans for lamp stands, garden features etc.  It was fun.  Just this past holiday I brought some interesting pieces of driftwood home for my garden!!

My dad has always been very active in the garden and would always end up slaving away in my garden when coming to visit.  I can just hear my mom “dear, be careful your back”!  Thanks dad for all the hard work you put into my different gardens.  Thank you for all the plants you have dug out of your garden on your hands and knees for me to bring home to my garden.  I remember you climbing onto a rooftop of a building at our house in Felixton.  Mommy just shaking her head in disbelief.  We had fun in St Lucia and Mapelane. 

It would be impossible to sum up a lifetime of incredible memories and the wonderful precious times we have spent together.  I look forward to all the special times we can still spend together.  Dad, you have taught me invaluable life lessons from your life and poured a wealth of knowledge about different things into my life.  You have encouraged time with God and made a special effort to find me a devotional book like the one you have been reading as it touched your life in such a special way.  You’re the best dad ever, you always looking out for things that support our interests and end up going more than the extra mile to do so much for your daughters. 

It is said that children are a blessing from God, but I know for certain that Dads are too, especially mine.

I love you Dad and pray God richest blessing on you and in your life today and the years to come!!

Kisses and hugs

Janine

A Birthday Party

Toffee Apples!!♥ Perfection after the third attempt only!  A very pleasing and tasty result!

My youngest daughter is now 7 years old.  It was her birthday in the month of May and we (my eldest daughter and I) threw a Hello Kitty, Shop Shop party for Emma and a few of her friends.  We had a total of 5 girls so it was a lovely little tea party.  The girls got to decorate their cupcakes, fabric paint Hello Kitty pictures on bunting to take home and buy at the shop with Hello Kitty tokens. 

Fabric Painting

Eating Sandwiches have never been more exciting.                                                                                   

The little shopping boxes were such a good buy from a baking warehouse.  We figured out how to fold them up but as they were being filled from the shop, the bottoms started falling out.  So a quick rescue plan was made with my husbands ducktape.  No bottoms of boxes would open after that! Oh what fun!

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Ingredients:
200ml Flour
45ml (3Tbs) Cocoa
10ml (2 tsp) Baking Powder
Pinch Salt
4 Eggs
15ml (1 Tbs) Lemon Juice
25ml (5 tsp) Water
200ml White Sugar

Chocolate butter icing:
Cream together 1/4 Cup butter, 1 Cup Huletts Icing Sugar & cocoa to desired colour.

Preheat the oven to 200C.


1. Grease and line a 22cm x 35cm Swiss roll pan.
2.  Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
3.  Beat the eggs until light and foamy, then beat in the lemon juice and water.  Add the sugar gradually and beat to dissolve.  The mixture should be very thick and pale.
4.  Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold in lightly with a spatula.
5. Pour the batter along into the prepared tin.  Level lightly if necessary.
6.  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, then turn out onto a slightly damp cloth and pull the paper off carefully.  Cut off the crisp edges to make the rolling easier.
7.  Roll up and wrap in the cloth.  Leave for a minute or two, and then remove the cloth and allow to cool on a cooling tray.  Spread a thin layer of the butter icing over the cake before rolling up again, and decorating as desired.

Here is a little story to go with my ever delicious Swiss Roll Cake. 

I have always been a keen baker, my aim to always find the best chocolate cake recipe ever, the surprisingly quick and easy, yet delicious recipe, new recipes, new flavours and so on.  Well, some years back, we talking about 13 years back,  I tried out a Swiss Roll recipe and after the biscuity result, shelved making Swiss Roll for a long time.  I then came across this recipe and said, "Swiss Roll Recipe, I'm going to conquer you!".  Well I did and my Swiss Roll turns out absolutely light and super yummy.

You can fill it with freshly whipped cream, butter icing or quick and easy ready to use caramel.

Hope you try it out and have SUCCESS!!