Chocolate freckle bouquet, a nostalgic birthday treat

One of my favourite treats as a kid, was chocolate freckles.

When we were invited to a 40th birthday recently, I decided to make this as a gift

The pic isn’t as clear as I would have liked because it was a boiling hot day & it had to be put straight in the fridge once it was assembled.

{joys of living in Australia, chocolate must live in the fridge!}

This is really very easy to make.

Just melt a packet of milk chocolate cooking chocolate in the microwave. Place the chocolate in a microwave proof bowl & cook on high in bursts of 30 seconds until it is all melted.

Place some baking paper on a baking tray & pour the chocolate over the paper & smooth with a spatula.

(oh that looks so yummy!)

Sprinkle 100’s & 1000’s over the top so you can no longer see the chocolate.

Gently press the 100’s & 1000’s down.

Place in the fridge for 10 minute or until set.

Do the same with white chocolate.

  

When the chocolate has set, flip it over & using a sharp knife, cut into circles. You can use a cup or cookie cutter as a guide.

 

Make the same size circles with the white chocolate.

Place the white chocolate circles on a lined tray, place a paddle pop stick or skewer on top of each chocolate circle. Use a little extra melted choc to sandwich the white choc & the freckle cho together with the stick in-between.

Using the same idea as the Cake pop holder

Place the sticks into some florist foam that is the bottom of a metal bucket. Wrap the whole arrangement in clear cellophane & tie with some curling ribbon.

And there you have one very unique present!

This would also make a terrific centrepiece for your Christmas table!

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Please & thank you

Quick and easy paper bauble for the Christmas tree

Ok, so I have had a request for some paper Christmas ornaments.

I love making ornaments with my chickadees.

We crank up the Christmas music & sing while we craft.

This is a super easy ornament that even the youngest children can make.

You just need a sheet of pretty paper. It can be scrapbooking paper, gift-wrap paper or even get your kids to colour in a piece of paper.

I chose this gorgeous scrapbooking paper from Kaisercraft

I used an upside down ramekin to trace as a circle.

 

Cut out the circles.

I used some mirror like cardboard to make squares for the top of the bauble.

 

I glued the square to the top of the circle.

Used a hole punch to make a hole to thread some ribbon through.

And there you have it. One beautiful paper bauble!

Why not whip up a few of these tonight with the kids.

What a weekend!

I have been a little quiet on here this weekend & I thought I would share some pics on why I have been offline!

Friday night

A river boat cruise along the Brisbane River for my husbands work Christmas party

Saturday night.

A 40th Birthday party.

{a tutorial on how to make this freckle chocolate bouquet will be on the blog soon!}

And we finished off the weekend today a little like this…

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

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Festive Friday. Chocolate Rainbow cookies, perfect homemade Christmas gift!

How perfect are these cookies for Christmas!

They are chocolate cookies sandwiched together with white chocolate ganache.

Some have peppermint added to the filling, some have strawberry & the rest have plain white chocolate. This was how mine turned out!

These cookies would make a great gift for neighbours or friends & would be the perfect addition to your Christmas feast.

I found this recipe on the taste.com.au website.

you can find the recipe here.

Would you like to have another look…….ok……but be warned……you will get hungry when you look at this next picture!

Do you know how hard it was to keep the kids away long enough for me to take this picture?

There was a lot of, “Mum, hurry up!” being called out from the lounge room!

You can package these up in some cellophane & ribbon for a perfect gift.

Hello to Ellie the Elephant! Free pattern and tutorial!

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our crazy family.

Awwwwww, how cute is she!!

She has those big blue eyes!

Georgia has already claimed her! I had to wrestle her out of Georgia’s arms just so I could attach those beautiful blue eyes!

I was inspired yesterday by these beautiful Elephants that I saw on the U create blog.

Aww, there is just too much cuteness!!

You can find the step by step tutorial & pattern over here at

Cutting Corners by Riley Blake

Jessica from Craftiness is not an optional shared this fabulous tutorial.

It is super easy, super fast & super cute!

Any little girl would love a pretty fabric Ellie the Elephant & any little boy would love a bright, funky Eric the Elephant.

I think I will make a whole heard of Ellie the Elephants!

What a week! And it is only Wednesday!!

WOW! What a week! Who would have thought that 2 weeks ago, when I posted this on the Sew, cook, laugh & live Facebook page

Have you ever had one of those days when you realise that you have made your life exactly the way you want it to be & yet it happened in a quiet way that you didn't even notice? I have just had one of those moments! My life may not be perfect but it is exactly what I always wished for. It's as though letting go of control, let my life go the way I wanted without forcing it to.

That I was going to have such an amazing week this week!

Last week, I hosted a giveaway on this blog to help support Aussie Mum’s who are creating fabulous things for their own handmade businesses.

Now, my hubby asked, “What do you get out of all of this?”

“Helping other women.” was my reply.

He was a little confused (are men so often are!). “What? You don’t get anything at all?” he asked.

I told him, “What goes around, comes around.”

I think he thought that I had lost my mind.

Sunday morning, I was up bright & early (yes I suffer from insomnia which is why I am sometimes a little crazy!) & I was blog hopping when I came across this posted on the Funky Fabrix blog

......and the winner is.......

Jos!

 

Well, I went running into hubby (sleeping soundly!), jumped on the bed & may have been yelling when I said, “See, I told you! I hosted a giveaway & now I have just won a bikini pattern!”

 

Now my poor hubby was really confused, (unsure if it was from being woken up so early on a Sunday morning or because he was wondering why on earth I would be wearing a bikini as I have not worn one for over 12 years!)

I had entered the competition to see if I could win the pattern for my daughter who has trouble buying a bikini that fits. So in reality this was a good deed for my daughter.

 

On Monday, I was going through my emails when I noticed an email from Jill from Creating my way to success blog.

She had wanted to know if I would be interested in doing an interview for an Creating ways to success Around the World Blog Hop. She did not need to ask twice!

You can find my interview here.

 

I was then feeling invincible! But it doesn’t stop there! My little blog that means so much to me, is nominated in the Top 25 Aussie Mum Bloggers!

{shamelessly I will now ask you to please vote by clicking this link then clicking on the orange vote symbol here, thanks}

 

Now, it still doesn’t stop there!

{I know!! I can’t believe it either!!}

I was blog hopping this morning when I came across this…

 

Stucey Shoes

1 pair of shoes

Up to $54.95!

WINNER - JOS FROM SEW COOK LAUGH LIVE

 

STOP THE FRIGGING CLOCK!!!!

I screamed so loud that both of my chickadees came running (I think that Kiara was looking for a weapon to defend me from an intruder!

So, I ring hubby & tell him. Now by this time he is seriously thinking that I have lost the plot.

Now, my hubby informed me yesterday that he has never read my blog & has no idea exactly what I do. He does spend most of his life living in the “Big Rig” (his truck) & is not home a lot but seriously Mr P, READ THE BLOG!!!! Maybe then you won’t think I am crazy when I talk about “my ladies”. It is not my harem that I keep but the fabulous women who keep me company over on the Sew, cook, laugh & live Facebook page while you are away.

 

Now back to the “what goes around, come around” lesson. I forgot to mention that last week, we had some extra vegies that I was not going to be able to use. So I send Kiara next door to the neighbours with a pumpkin. Now this is no joke but a true “Cinderella” moment! She takes over a pumpkin & brought back a bike!

YEP!!! A BIKE!!!!

I could see her coming through the front gate with a bike & she was nearly wetting herself laughing. I went running out. She straight away said, “I did not steal it! Jay gave it to me for the pumpkin!!!”

I had only told her that morning that if you do a good deed for someone, you will be rewarded.

 

As you can imagine, my chickadees are both fighting over who’s turn it is to do something nice!

{hmmm, yep, kids will be kids!}

 

So if you have gotten anything from this post

{other than the fact that we are completely insane!}

please make sure to do something nice for someone because, some day, some time, you will be rewarded for your efforts!

 

Have a great day & keep smiling!!

{I know that I can’t stop smiling!!!}

Choc Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

If you are on a diet,

(yes Stacey!)

Look away now!

I told you to look away!

Now, you won’t be able to resist making these sinful truffles!

A while ago, I shared my Choc Chip Cookie Dough for Cookie dough Ice Cream.

Now I am using that same Cookie Dough for these truffles that are perfect for Christmas!

Packaged in an egg carton that I have painted with craft paint, they would make a wonderful gift.

Not only are they yummy but they are really easy.

Just follow the recipe that can be found here.

Make the dough & cover the bowl with gladwrap then place in the fridge for around 10 minutes.

Then roll walnut sized chunks into balls.

Chill them on a tray for another ten minutes.

Melt a packet of cooking choc chips/buttons in the microwave. Do it in bursts of 30 second intervals on high power, Stir after each 30 seconds.

When the chocolate is melted, drop one ball at a time into the chocolate & roll it around gently with a spoon.

Use the spoon to pick that ball up & place on a lined baking tray.

Place in the fridge until set.

How easy is that!!!

Oh my, I can’t resist! I am off to eat one!

Enjoy!

If you enjoy reading my blog & making the things that I share, I need to ask a big favour of you.

Can you please vote for my blog in the Top 25 Aussie Mum blogs?

It will only take a few seconds (I promise), no forms or signing up. Just click on the link & click on the orange vote symbol.

I would really appreciate it.

Please & thank you!

A day bed for the back patio that cost next to nothing!

Ahhhh, this is perfect!

Perfect for those long hot Aussie summer days & nights when all you want to do is lay down & chill.

This day bed cost me next to nothing to make. It is just 5 pallets. Hubby & I spent a Saturday afternoon cruising around the local industrial estate looking for pallets & we scored! Do you know how many businesses have these sitting out the front with signs saying “Free pallets”. More than you could ever imagine!

So all we did to make this bed is painted 5 pallets with white paint (free, leftover from painting the inside of the house). We used one as the headboard & stacked the others, 2 pallets high to form the base. Placed some leftover waterproof sheeting on top (free, leftover from the bathroom reno)

I then used an old double bed mattress (free, it was sitting in our shed) & made a “fitted sheet” cover from some beautiful bright outdoor fabric that I found on special at Spotlight (that was the only purchase that I made)

              

And there you have it! One day bed for next to nothing!!

The headboard works perfect as a magazine rack!

Now, I made this for myself but the chickadees seem to think that I made it for them!

They spent the whole afternoon there & I had to force Georgia to come in after dark!

I can see myself spending most of Christmas day on the new day bed with a fan, glass of strawberries & cream vodka & just relaxing.

Can you please spare a few seconds to vote for my blog for the Top 25 Aussie Mum bloggers award?
It would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks & have a great day!
Make sure you find some "ME" time to relax or create.