In Print…
So in the midst of our move to California, something really cool happened. And in the resulting chaos, I took enough time to do a quick happy dance, posted it on social media and continued…
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Kawaii Candy Corn Gift Bag
I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror movies. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve watched a scary film, and I can’t say I enjoyed it… nor…
Woven paper rocket
A few weeks ago I was sent a copy of a gorgeous new paper weaving book by Anna and Lena Schepper. They’re the two geniuses behind the woven paper baubles I made a few years…
Woven paper baubles
A quick update; The two amazing ladies who created the templates for this project have just released a wonderful book full of gorgeous projects just like this one. I’ve written a review and show one of the…
BB-8 template
I got my nerd on last week. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, my husband is something of a Star Wars fan. Don’t get the wrong idea, our walls and shelves are not plastered in…
Chocolat Chaud – Hot Chocolate
The other day I had a friend visiting from Australia, she managed to arrive just in time for Switzerland to decide that Spring was completely overrated and that it wanted to return to Winter. It rained…
Inspirational reads: I love paper
Due to a series of unfortunate events this past weekend, I found myself (not unhappily, I should add) wandering the streets of Paris alone for a few hours. Finding myself at the Pompidou, I immediately lost myself…
An Easter morning tea with two toddlers
One of the best things about being a mother to an 18 month old toddler? Being able to do all the fun things I love doing, for her! We altered our plans to go to…
Stormtrooper pop up card
DM is a huge Star Wars fan. Munchkin had watched all of the movies (mainly through closed eyes) before she was 5 months old. So for his birthday it seemed appropriate to make him a Stormtrooper…
Wool and the Gang – a knit party
This past Friday, I held my first Wool and the Gang Knit Party. It was great fun. Ten crafty ladies arrived for champagne, snacks and some fun chunky knitting action. They’d all pre-ordered their kits,…
Heart Gift Box Template
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here is a free printable gift box for you to make up. Or for any reason actually. It’s sweet packaging for birthdays, anniversaries or any reason you need to give…
Lounging Munchkin Style
Whilst out shopping last weekend we stumbled across these little foam chairs for children. Munchkin immediately fell in love with them. It was just her size! And light enough that she can push…
In Print…
Australian craft magazine Homespun have printed a little blurb about my embroidered paper tea cups. I’ve not read their magazine before, so when I received their email, I had a look at their…
Lupo. A gorgeous crochet project.
We’ve had a splendid Christmas break! It included visits from family, trips to Leukerbad to relax in thermal baths surrounded by snow capped alps and too much good food. My break also included…
Small paper bag advent calendar.
For Munchkin’s first Advent (we didn’t do one last year) I wanted something she could have a great time opening and, most likely, destroying in the process. So I came up with the concept of…
Geometric Bee Invitation Suite
It’s been a couple of months since Munchkin’s first birthday and I’m finally getting around to sharing with you the Invitation Suite I designed for it. I created an Invitation and Thank You Notelet…
Animal Parade Carousel Cake
I hope you’re having a splendid weekend? Mine has been gorgeous and full of festivities. It started Friday with DM’s and my wedding anniversary. DM has been at a conference in Dublin all week and…
Advent Calendar Inspiration
I had intended to put my bee themed invitations and thank you cards up for this week’s blog post, and to have a baking post for you! But this week has been chaotic! DM has been…
Bee Geometric Gift Box
For Munchkin’s first birthday party I made up a suite of items that all fit with the Bee theme we’d set. I wanted them to be modern and sweet, without covering everything with flowers or…
Fresh flowers & bees; a 1st birthday cake
A few weeks ago we celebrated Munchkin’s first birthday with two splendid parties. For the first I made a Miffy themed birthday cake and for the second, we went with a fresh flowers and bees theme. For…
Kawaii Halloween Frankenstein Gift Box
As promised, here is the 2nd in my kawaii Halloween series. This time a cute little kawaii Frankenstein to go along with kawaii Ghosty! They make really cute little gift boxes. The boxes go together…
Kawaii Halloween Ghosty Giftboxes
As I’ve mentioned in posts before, we don’t really celebrate Halloween beyond making sure I have a packet of something to give to the one or two children who might turn up with their parents. But…
Gluten-free Vanilla Sugar Cookies
One of the most talked about parts of Munchkin’s birthday party were the cookies we gave away as gifts. My wonderfully talented friend Nikki from Toute Sweet took some time out with her friend Summer…
Munchkin’s first, first birthday party
Munchkin’s birthday isn’t for nine days, but her grandparents are here in Switzerland at the moment. So we decided to have a little party before the big one with friends next weekend. It just…
In Print…
In a couple of my past blog posts I’ve hinted at this project but I haven’t been able share it with you. Not until today! A friend bought a copy of the latest issue of Mollie…
Gluten-free Raspberry Friands
I had an itch. I needed to bake. It had been so long that my Kitchen Aid had a light coating of dust! The cover of What Katie Ate has been giving me cravings for friands for…
Crochet rattle ball
One of Munchkin’s favourite toys, ever since we bought it for her when she was just 6 weeks old, is a soft ball made of cotton that has a bell in it. It was…
Woodland Creatures Cookies and Tree Trunk Packaging
A couple of months ago, my friend Nikki asked me to come up with a concept. She wanted to make gifts to give to her children’s teachers at the end of the year as a thank you gift….
Crochet Baby Toy – Noise Makers
One of Munchkins favourite toys was this Pram Necklace from Littlephant that we bought her for her first Christmas. She adored the colours and the textures of the toy hanging over her pram. And apparently it…
Finally finished
They say that every quilt tells a story. This one certainly does! I started it before Munchkin was born. Last Summer, my friend and quilter extraordinaire Lynne, went with me via ferry to Thonon…
Gluten-free profiteroles (choux pastry)
There were a few things I gave up on finding when I found out I couldn’t eat gluten anymore. One of them was profiteroles and a good choux pastry. But a trip to my…
Happy Easter Bunny Milk Cartons
It’s that time of the year! That time when Spring arrives and all the shelves in every store are full of chocolate bunnies and pretty chocolate eggs. That time when we eat too many…
A little robot advent
It’s coming round to that time of year wherein I look at the calendar and panic. I’ve not even started to think about Christmas presents for friends and family, let alone creating an advent calendar….
In Print…
Why is it that every time I start to wonder what I’m doing with my life and start to consider returning to a ‘normal’ profession something turns up to make me change my…
Knitting for Munchkin #3
I’ve almost finished Munchkins heart cardigan! I’ve just to decide if I want to add a zipper or buttons to the front closure. I’m really quite happy with the results, what do you…
Chocolatey decadence. Gluten-free brownies
Gluten-free brownies are awesome. No. Seriously. They are. Why? Because they’re basically all chocolatey deliciousness and there’s not much in the way of flour. I made two batches over the last week. One…
Gluten-free white chocolate chunk and macadamia nut cookies
The other week I was craving white chocolate and macadamia nuts. I used to be able to get gluten-free white chocolate chunk and macadamia nut cookies at my local cafe in Sydney. And when…
Dots and doilies
We’re currently holidaying in South-West France. Enjoying some sunshine, sea air and the relaxed surfing culture that Hossegor provides. I’ve just commenced the third trimester and Munchkin is growing quickly! For this reason…
Diamond shaped gift box packaging
I’ve been having some fun of late creating packaging and gift boxes. This diamond shaped one is one of my favourites (second only to my tea cups). They’d make really cute packaging for…
Gluten-free apple, custard & almond praline cupcakes
Makes 12 – 18 cupcakes dependant on size Last Sunday we had a ‘making day’. My husband spent the day finishing his manga style robot and after painting it perfectly… continued painting it so…
In Print…
I’m really honoured to be included in the latest issue of Inside Out Magazine. Inside Out Magazine was one of my regular reads when I lived in Australia. So to find myself featured in…
Gluten-free Lamingtons
I couldn’t resist. My kitchen was so shiny I could see my reflection in the kitchen bench and didn’t want to mess it up. But it was raining and overcast and I felt an…
Gluten-free Apple Custard Tart
This past Christmas I was given a glorious present. A copy of Lily Vanilli’s Sweet Tooth. This bright and cheerful book certainly won’t hide amongst the masses when you put it on your bookshelf….
Knitting for Munchkin #2
We’re really excited. I had a 21 week scan last week and we now know that Munchkin is a little girl! As far as they could tell she’s healthy. They counted her fingers and…
Individual little layer cakes.
Gluten free dark chocolate layer cake with salted chocolate cream I received one of the best Christmas presents from my friend Jo this year. A 12 Cup Mini Sandwich Cake Tin. And then I promptly got…
Knitting for Munchkin #1
I’ve found myself at a crossroads with the nursery. I just can’t go forward any further with my ideas until I know what we’re having. But hopefully that should be rectified in the next couple…
Easter Eggs
Due to illness and lethargy, I’ve not made any eggs this year. But for the many of you who have found next to nicx over the last few months, I thought I’d share some of…
In print…
I opened my letterbox yesterday and did a little jig on the spot. Even the subsequent trip to the print shop, where I had to deal with the staff who have successfully avoided ever being friendly…
Paper Tea Cup #1 Lid (insert option)
As promised, here is the very belated, revised lid I designed for my Paper Tea Cups #1! It won’t fit on yesterdays tea cup, I’m still working on a lid design for it, it’s…
Paper Tea Cup #2
As promised, here is the alternate tea cup design! It’s a bit taller and wider than the one I uploaded last week. But I’m really happy with the design! It goes together exactly the…
Paper Tea Cups #1
I’ve been messing around with paper. I’m not sure exactly why I decided to make paper tea cups, but inspiration hit over the holidays and I couldn’t find one online. Hence the gauntlet was thrown down! I…
Gluten free shortbread tea bags
I know it’s been a whilst since I posted a craft blog. I’d taken some time off over Christmas and my lastest project has taken longer than I anticipated. But rather than cram a quick…
Gluten free gingerbread
I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas? Mine was fabulous and included a decadent seafood lunch at La Brasserie du Grand Chêne, more champagne and dessert with gorgeous friends, followed by an early night. All that eating and socialising is exhausting!…
Christmas decadence
Gluten free Caramel Slice/ Millionaires Shortbread Caramel slice brings back memories of school fêtes and sugar induced comas from the local bakery. The bakery version used to be about an inch thick and contained about…
A little festive flair
In only 11 sleeps Christmas is here! My husband and I are staying in Switzerland this year and so I’ve been able to let myself go a little crazy in the decoration department. In part…
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Home made Nutella)
DM and I organised and hosted a dinner at one of our favourite restaurants in Lausanne on Saturday night. We could have quite easily have invited three times as many people but we wanted…
Christmas Packaging- Milk Cartons
I’ve been busy creating items for Christmas this week. I’ve been struggling to pin down what I wanted to do for our Christmas cards. I love what I’ve made but there’s just a few things…
Banana and Dulce de Leche cake
Recipe: Gluten free banana and confiture de lait (or dulce de leche) cake with sour cream and cream cheese frosting I held a couple of ateliers on Friday and Saturday where some truly lovely…
Advent Atelier- Show and Tell
Just look at these gorgeous creations! They’re the result of my first kids atelier. I held a 2 hour class for 3 children and their respective mothers. Each child decorated and filled their own advent…
Dulce de leche (or confiture de lait)
Months ago I discovered an evil genius had put crème caramel and baked chocolate pudding into small preserving jars. I decided I needed a set, and so set about forcing myself, my husband and other…
Seriously Simple Embroidered Christmas Decorations
I stumbled across these fabulous miniature embroidery frames by Laura of The Creative Munster a few weeks ago and promptly purchased each of her designs. They’re fabulous! Laser cut out of bamboo, they’re very simple to…
A Robot Advent – Pre-printed & Cut
Love the template and tutorial on the previous post but don’t have a lot of time to do all the cutting and scoring? I’ve a few extra sets of this Little Mr Robot Advent calendar…
DIY Advent Calendar Template
I’ve been a little quiet on the blog front this week as I’ve been spending quite some time putting together this tutorial and printable template. It’s by far and away the most advantageous template I’ve created so…
Scrumptious soft & chewy chocolate chip cookies
Recipe: Gluten Free Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies I’ve been addicted to the mix of sea salt and dark chocolate lately. This is my last recipe using it for a while as…
Pretty Patterned Gift Bags
You might remember the small pretty patterned paper bag template I did a few months ago? Well I find myself in need of something a little larger recently and so decided to modify the template…
Gluten free chocolate cupcakes with fleur de sel Swiss meringue chocolate buttercream
Today the ladies of the Stitch ‘n’ Bitch celebrated the birthday of one of our members. Welmoed is a fabulously creative lady who makes children’s clothing and does some really lovely embroidery. To commemorate the…
Constructive chaos
One of the difficulties in living overseas, and having so many of our friends scattered to the four winds is keeping in touch. Whilst Facespace and Twitter are fabulous, they’re poor substitutes for ‘real’ communication…
Friday’s Festivities. Chocolate cake and pink champagne!
Recipe: Gluten free Chocolate Cake with Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting When I’d last made a Squidgy Chocolate cake from Phil Vickery’s Seriously good! Gluten-free baking my husband decreed it one of…
Paddy Mac’s Rocky Road
As you may know from my tweets etc. my husband and I have just returned home from a very quick trip to Australia. We spent 61.5 hours travelling to spend 68 hours in Sydney. For…
A kawaii halloween
I completed this project just before we left for our last minute trip to Sydney. But ran out of time to type it up. Unfortunately the flights we were on didn’t have wifi activated so…
Crochet alphabet baby blanket
Whilst I’m showing you things I made for my nephew… Here’s a baby blanket I made. I used 100% Australian merino wool so it would be super warm for those days he’d be outside in…
Ampersands+Embroidery = Nerdy Joy
I’d intended to do this project whilst we were on holidays. I know, I know… the best laid plans of mice and men. My plans went awry the moment I received the latest Frankie magazine…
Pretty patterned paper bags!
After I’d made up chocolate wrappers for my Husband’s Uncle and Aunt last week. I made some gift bags for our nephews. Creating a template that can be printed out on A4 paper. They looked…
Chocolate, raspberry and vanilla buttercream cake
Last weekend it was a friends birthday. It fell to me to bring a cake! Unfortunately my first attempt failed. I’d not had a cake fail in well over 7 years so it came as…
Hot Air Balloon Decoration Tutorial
I promised on my Tumbler site when I posted about Meriel’s baby shower that I would create a tutorial for the ‘hot air balloon decorations’ I created for the event. It involves some IKEA hacking but is…
A Geeky Easter
My husband is a huge Star Wars fan. The last time he caught Man-Flu he decided that there was only one cure. To watch all of the Star Wars movies consecutively, on the same day….
Second attempts at egg decorating
After alcohol fuelled attempts at Easter egg decorating on Friday night I decided to try again. This time (sans alcohol) I used my cutter plotter to make some templates out of adhesive contact (or ‘sticky backed plastic’ to many of…
Every little girl turning 3 years old should have a mouse cake
I’ve created more cakes in the last 2 weeks than I have in the previous 4 years! But it seems I haven’t lost my touch completely. Meriel, the lovely lady I held a baby shower for…
A Hot Air Balloon themed Baby Shower
Today I held a baby shower for a lovely friend. Some of my very creative and talented friends and a couple of lovely new faces arrived to celebrate the imminent arrival of Meriels little…
Baby shower invitations
I’ve just completed the invites for a baby shower I’m holding for a friend. 3 colours letterpress printed on cotton stock.
In progress
Design locked in, transperancys made, thick fluffy cotton stock cut cut to shape and now I’m ready to make polymer plates!
Valentines day is approaching!
Have you bought your lovely lady or gent a Valentines Day card yet? How about one of these decadently petit pieces of pocket perfection designed for surreptitiously slipping into your sweethearts satchel (or purse)?…
My work for the Prix de Lausanne
I created these boxes for the Prix de Lausanne. Created with cardboard wrapped in Canson black paper and blue silk, letterpress printed with transparent ink and tied closed around the exterior to ensure the logo is clear…
A classic line for a classic card.
A classic line for a classic card. Printed with 12pt Universal light metal type onto gorgeous 400gsm, 100% cotton, mould made paper. This Valentines day card is made petit (90x65mm) so as to be covertly…
Because simple is often best
Because simple is often best Printed with 12pt Universal light metal type onto gorgeous 400gsm, 100% cotton, mould made paper. This Valentines day card is made petit (90x65mm) so as to be covertly slipped…
My current business cards
Letterpress printed on 400 gsm Zerkall 100% cotton
Tutus on statues project
I can finally explain to you all why I’ve been maintaining radio silence over the past few weeks! I had an unexpected opportunity to do some work for the Prix de Lausanne that drew on…