Do you ever wonder?

Where do bloggers go? When once they blurted/blogged/tweeted regularly and watched you do the same and then abrubtly did it no more. Just gone. Some might have passed, some just moved passed onto something else and some may have accidentally dropped their computers whilst cleaning their gutters. Who knows? Well I know where I have been and now I am back to tell you. I gave up my knitting needles for pens. I swapped my templates for unit assesments and I gave away reading blogs for text books that are not half as much fun and give my brain the sensation that it is an elastic band being stretched to the point of snapping.

I have still be spying on you especially my local ladies just incase I bump into them.
Miss Muggins and  One Pair of Hands are always busy and making me jealous because they both lead busy hectic lives and still whip up a zillion things. Alas, I cannot. I have a one project personality. I cannot multitask and I do not possess the skills of those amazing mothers that work, do mum stuff and obtain degrees with high distinctions. I am actually lucky to pass at all. But I want to do it and I want to get that degree. Why? Because , well , I got so tired of being mad at how things were run around us that I decided to educate myself to use words that the people in power would understand since they clearly didnt understand Melanie speak which often regressed to obscenities and the use of inappropriate raising of middle fingers. Oh my. It took me 40 odd years to realize that kind of behaviour gets you no where.

So basically, I am taking my blog ranting to a new level. I miss crafting, knitting, sewing, EVERYTHING actually and I miss blogs, reading blogs and the constant Ooooh factor like this blog Limoncello.  Oh my gosh I want to make everything on her site. So why am I here? Well I want to push myself to do more than just one thing at a time. I have a studio/shed, infact I have two and it is full of all of the things I dreamed of owning to play with so what a waste. Why cant I do both? My art may suck but it is what makes me tick and without it I havent been ticking too well. See you all.Great to be back.
Blog ya later
Melanie

Read more...

Be a part of breaking the longest bunting in the world effort.

For many reasons I have not been able to blog but recently I have seen much activity in my email regarding my Bunting Template. YAY.
Thank you to everyone who is enjoying my template. I believe I have repaired the link and it is now good to go. Please let me know if there is a poblem and GOOD LUCK.

Message recieved today from another avid bunting fan. Check out the links.

Hello! Me and a whole load of ladies are using this template for the guiness book of records longest bunting! we are getting everyone from around the world to send in triangles with this template thankyou very much! if you would like to join in and promote please attend this event... https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=214123248627250.

.. Or promote the tumblr!
http://fyeahbunting.tumblr.com/
Thankyou very much! Spread the word! xxxx

Read more...

My creative space - Thursday

Sooooo , 2 years ago my son moved out, to which I quickly responded by making his room into a sewing room.
2 years later, son moves back, I'm booted out of sewing room into the big shed which is to be my new "Creative Space"

My plastering is a bit iffy, my painting a bit hap hazard and due to the lack of rooms now we have camp stretchers as beds, floors as wardrobes and I am exhausted because of health stuff and I FINALLY got my top teeth out and today I get fitted for my new ones YAY. pardon the massive running sentence.

So! After many years I am finally getting my teeth for christmas AND a new, bigger, much improved "Creative Space"

I am sure you will find prettier creative spaces at Kootoyoos and although mines not pretty right now, it is super exciting.
Due to niggling illnesses, new found deficiencies that I didn't know existed and way to much self absorption I have been an absent crafter but I have turned the corner and feel my mojo returning and cannot wait to create, be artful and share with you all.

Cheers
Melanie

Read more...

yum and yummer

I know I claim to hate cooking and I stand by my claims vehemently even though I do seem to be cooking a lot. Its OK, its just a phase. I blame masterchef.
My cupcakes were too sickly sweet for the birthday do yesterday so I did what any cooking hater wouldn't do and spent hours scouring the Internet for recipes.
I am most pleased with the results and realized what you cooking nuts already know. These are fantastic recipes for kids to make too.  Make the day before if you can.

YUM!

No Rum Rumballs 

• 250g Nice biscuits.
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 395g can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence) 
• About  3/4 cup desiccated coconut, for coating

Using a food processor, combine cocoa and Nice biscuits. Blend until they look like fine crumbs( I don't mind the odd chunky bit )
In a bowl mix crumbs with remaining ingredients

Refrigerate for half and hour to make mixture firmer but no longer or you wont be able to get it out of the bowl........(yes , I did that and then later found my husband hacking away at it with a knife to eat it)
Roll into bite size balls.
Roll the ball in the remaining coconut to coat.
voila

YUMMER!

Vanilla Wafer balls 

Vanilla wafer balls (I made this recipe up using bits and pieces of other recipes. Amounts may not be accurate but these are so yummy it is worth experimenting on your own for desired results. I know kids will love these.)

I used the 65 cent wafers from Coles in the biscuit section

• 1 and a half packets of vanilla wafers
• Half a  packet of Marie Biscuits(120g)
• Half a cup of coconut
• (another 3/4 of a cup of coconut to coat balls)
• 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk ( I used 99%fat free because we want to appear to be healthy don't we?)

Throw wafers in a food processor and mix until they are mostly fine crumbs but leave some chunks for texture.
Blend Marie biscuits until they are a fine crumb
Mix all ingredients in a bowl then roll them into bit size balls.

Roll into remaining coconut to coat.

For added Princess sparkle value I rolled mine first in fairy dust sprinkles but I am a bit like that. You can omit this and it wont effect flavor.

YUMMISH!

Non Alcoholic Rumballs

These were OK but not to my taste and ever so sticky and messy to make. Some people loved them though so it was worth it.

• 2 1/2 cups Madeira cake crumbs (approximately 280g)
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup Condensed sweetened Milk(99% fat free of course)
• 1/2 cup of raisins or sultanas
• 1 tablespoon rum essence
• 1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles

Combine cake crumbs and cocoa in a large bowl. Add Condensed milk and rum. Stir until a thick, 

sticky mixture forms. Place chocolate sprinkles in a  bowl. Roll  into a bite size ball and 

roll in chocolate sprinkles until well coated. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve.

Yummiest

BUCKEYES

picture: Allrecipes.com

They never last long enough here to take a picture.

Click HERE for a look at the recipe. Best eaten straight from freezer, mmmmmm

Needless to say, I am feeling a little bit stuffed and podgy today because there were so many and I am supposed to be freezing them, however, they don't seem to be making it to the freezer....

I really love that I can freeze these for rainy days when the kids use thier whiny voice and say" muuum, there's no food" whilst staring into a full pantry.

Happy Wednesday girls

Cheers

Melanie

Read more...

And now it's September

Birthdays galore and a little get together planned  on Tuesday to celebrate all of the September girls.
I said I would make cupcakes but they're just so sweet and sickly.

I took these photos with my Birthday present, my iPhone, and although it is a handy little camera to have in a pinch, I am somewhat perplexed at why the pictures always come out upside down and the blueish tinge on everything is a bit eery.

As a phone Brilliant. As a camera it makes a great phone:)
My kids have gone to QLD so I am all alone. Oh what plans I have with my precious alone time.
I will first start by making something less sickly for tomorrow.
Happy Monday Girls!
Cheers
Melanie

Read more...