Things that go bump in the night...

Oooh spooky, it's Halloween! Have you been up to anything scary? Dressing up? Carving pumpkins? Trick or treating?

At work we got into the swing of things with Halloween inspired cupcakes and carved pumpkins! Once again, i apologise for the rubbish quality photos, i only had my phone on me. Silly phone.

What do you think? Last year we had scarily real looking severed fingers on the cupcakes which i though were gross. These look much more appetizing!

I bought a pumpkin for at home, but we haven't carved it yet. I best get a wiggle on.....

Would you like to make your own lego gummies?

Then check out this blog post from Magneto Bold Too (Cake or Death) here. Note: do not read this if you are easily offended by swearing. Not that i think you will be, i just though i'd better give you a heads up.

Rosehip Syrup.

I mentioned in a previous post that when i went sloe picking i also found some rosehips (Kate told me they were ok to eat, as i would have had no idea!).

I have never thought of making anything with rosehips and no idea what to do with them. Rosehip syrup was entioned to me, so i did a bit of research and found a good recipe here.

I liked the idea of making a syrup as i have never made one before and the idea of having it with champagne is very tempting. I think it would also be good in porridge, on yogurt or on top of pancakes too, yum! I thought it would have a floral taste but it turns out it quite fruity and tangy.

The recipe involved cutting up the rosehips and then boiling them in water and leaving the rosehip flavours to infuse for about half an hour. The water is then strained through a jelly bag (or in my case through a tea towel in a colander).

 Check out my new bright blue pan, it's fab isn't it.

The strained liquid is them put back on the heat to boil, the sugar is added and the liquid is boiled till it goes all thick and syrupy.

I added a little lemon juice at this stage to enhance the flavour. I am really pleased with the results, even if i only got a bottle and half in the end. I think i might have porridge for breakfast tomorrow!

Sew your own Chewbacca!

Speaking of Draw! Pilgrim......you, yes you could make a lovely cuddly Chewbacca of your very own. Do you have someone in your life who loves Star Wars? (don't we all), or maybe your love Star wars? Either way you really should make this as it is sooooooo cute.

You can download the pattern from Draw! Pilgrim here. She's a clever lady. He is definitely on my 'to do' list!

Awww Chewy!

Aren't these the cutest?

Howdy pals, what you been doing? Are you having a good week?

I have been spending my usual unhealthy amount of time on Etsy and stumbled across this little gem of a shop. Check out Draw! Pilgrim and have a look at their cute print, badges and cards. You can find their store here. Me likey.

The damson gin is ready!

Speaking of gin, the damson gin that i made a few months ago is ready. I tried some the other day and it is yummy!

I have therefore decanted one and a half of the three bottles i made and put them in little bottles with tags and ribbon decorations and i think they look very cute. What do you think? If you know me then you might be the lucky recipient of a bottle. That's if i don't drink it all myself first!

Sloe gin, my autumn favorite!

Yay, i went sloe picking on Monday and made sloe gin yesterday. Fab.

I love sloe gin, but have never made it as i had no idea where to find sloes. Luckily, i work with a lovely lady, Kate, who did know where to find sloes and not only showed me where but also drove me there and helped me to pick them. Thank you Kate!

We also found rosehips, so we picked some of those and i think i might make rosehip syrup, which i have been told is lovely in champagne. I will of course let you know if i do.

But back to the sloes. Sloe gin is amazingly easy to make. All you need are some sloes, a bottle of (cheap) gin, sugar and an old 2 litre bottle (i used an old coke bottle).

1. Wash the sloes and then prick them and fill roughly a third of the bottle (about 450g).

2. Fill the bottle with just under another third of caster sugar (about 250-300g).

3. Top the bottle up with a litre of gin. Done.

Now all i have to do is give it a good shake every now and again and leave it in a cool dark cupboard. It will be drinkable in a couple of months. Although if you leave it for a year or so it is much tastier. I don't know if i can wait a year though!

If you see sloes (little black berries hanging on little tress with small leaves, they look a bit like blueberries) you should give it a go. If you like to make things, and you like to drink gin this is for you. Although make sure what you are picking are sloes as that could be disastrous!

Darling Clementine, oh my.

Well hello to you! Are you well? Have you been enjoying this sunny cold weather? (if it is indeed cold and sunny where you are). I hope you are well and having a good week. I do.

Have you heard of the Norwegian company, Darling Clementine? They create cute and retro designs based upon their 'Scandinavian design heritage'.

I am a big fan of Darling Clementine. You can have a look at, and shop for, their things here. They also have a blog here, which is full of inspirational posts.

They have also just released their Christmas designs. Woop! Ok, ok no more talk of Christmas......maybe....