lemon drizzle cake

I baked lemon drizzle cake last night as a special treat for my little boy.  He had a bad fall on Tuesday evening while playing football in the garden with his daddy and big brother.

A trip to A&E revealed that he has broken his arm close to the elbow.  He will be in a cast from his shoulder to his hand for the next six weeks.

He was exceptionally brave throughout the whole thing despite being only four years old and more than a little scared of hospitals.  His main concern was whether he would still be able to go to school.

So you see, my brave little man really deserved this treat.  I have included the recipe if anyone fancies trying it.

lemon drizzle cake

ingredients

155g self-raising flour

130g caster sugar

25g soft brown sugar

155g unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp baking powder

3 large eggs

zest and juice of 1 lemon

for the drizzle

40g caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon

method

Preheat the oven to 180 

Grease a 1lb loaf tin and line with baking paper

Cream the butter and sugar using an electric whisk until light and fluffy

Gradually add the eggs a little at a time beating into the mixture

Sift the remaining dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix into wet ingredients

When combined add the zest and juice of the lemon and mix in

Pour the cake mixture into the loaf tin and cook for 35-40 minutes until golden brown

When fully baked the cake should be firm to the touch and an inserted skewer will come out clean

While the cake is cooking, mix the sugar and lemon juice together to make the drizzle

When cooked allow the cake to cool completely in the tin

Once cool, prick all over with a skewer and pour the drizzle over the top

Boil the kettle, make a cup of tea and enjoy a lovely big slice.

With the happenings around here, there's no chance any of us will ever forget his first week at school.  We are hoping for a speedy recovery.

back to school

The little ones went to school for the start of the new school year today.  We had two very excited little boys here this morning.  One bursting with excitement to see all his friends again and the other desperate to see what all the excitement was about.

They looked so cute in their new uniforms, shiny new shoes and schoolbags that always seem slightly too big.

Thankfully, they both had a great day.  The littlest finished up early and will continue to do so for the month of September, easing them in gently.  The second changed classroom and teacher and is full of beans about all the fun things he will be doing this year.

I am so pleased that school is the fun place it is now.  I always loved school but I know that others were not so lucky.  Times and attitudes have changed and teachers are so wonderful now, it seems that most little ones really enjoy their first experience of school.  Here's hoping the enthusiasm continues.

And on the home front, I should have started the cleaning I had promised myself would be top priority but instead I wandered around the garden taking photos of wildflowers and my apple tree.  I can't quite believe it has produced apples the same year we planted it.  I snuggled with the little fairy, perused my new copy of Mollie Makes and drank copious amounts of tea.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

goodbye august

It's September tomorrow.  Autumn is nearly here and I am just a little delighted.  We have had a wonderful summer of fun despite the questionable weather.  Now there is much excitement in our house as school starts again on Monday.

Our first boy is starting year 3 in primary school and Monday will be my second little boy's first day at school.  I am amazed at how the years fly by and how quickly the little ones grow up.

There is a lovely newness in the air.  New uniforms, shoes, schoolbags and books.  It brings back lovely memories of when I was little and looking forward to returning to school.  I loved nothing more than a new pencil case filled to the brim with pencils and pens.

I must admit I have never got over my love of a new notebook.  I have many stored in drawers, occasionally taken out and admired.  My problem is I think my handwriting somehow defaces the lovely new book.  I think I may need help.  I really must start using them.

The little fairy and I will have the opportunity for some one on one time when the boys are at school.  Time for baking, crafting and reading, just a few of our favourite things.

Hope you all have a lovely autumn and enjoy all the good things the change of season brings.

Oh hello too, to my newest followers.  It's lovely to hear from you.  Thanks so much for visiting.

baking days

Baking update.  Brownies from The Primrose Bakery Book.  So delicious.

Sweet, sticky, delicious, need i say more.

A lovely brownie on a pretty little plate for me.  Hope you are all having a lovely start to the week.

primrose bakery book

Our postman arrived this morning with a parcel containing this little gem, The Primrose Bakery Book.

I can feel the urge to bake coming on.  Just look at that carrot cake.  Doesn't it look delicious.

Green tea cupcakes.  So pretty.

And those biscuits.  Could biscuits be any lovelier?

Sadly I think most of these masterpieces are a little beyond my current baking skillset.  However a girl can dream.

A little wildflower arrangement created by my eldest boy.  Can you see the little stones in the bottom? He informed me he knew I would think they were pretty.  I have a bit of a thing for stones, a little weird, I know.  Anyway, wishing you all a lovely bank holiday weekend. 

mollie makes: august

Well here goes.  My first Mollie Makes project reveal.  Teeny tiny bunting on a top for my little fairy.

After flicking through the August issue of Mollie Makes I decided to try the mini bunting.  As you can see I used the tutorial as inspiration, choosing triangular bunting and a little top instead of the skirt.  

I won't even attempt to regurgitate the tutorial but here is a little of the process.  I chose the fabric and decided on template size for the little triangles.

I cut them, stacked up with my rotary cutter and sewed them up.  I added bias binding, a narrow satin type I had in my stash.

I decided to hand sew this part as the bunting is so small it was a bit of a faff with the sewing machine.  I also liked that you could have invisible stitches along the tape.  Then I stitched it onto the top, a basic little long sleeved cotton t-shirt.

And now the before and after.

I enjoyed completing this project although i'm not really sure if i would do it again.  The bunting was a little fiddly.  I will sticking to larger scale versions for draping gaily around the house.

I have ear-marked a few other projects I would like to give a whirl.  When my crochet skills improve I wouldn't mind trying the star garland.  It would make a cute festive decoration.

And I will definitely be giving stamp carving a go.  It's been on my to-do list for quite a while.

Did any of you make anything lovely from issue seventeen? 

chilling out

Just spent a lovely relaxed weekend, chilling out, going to the park,

making lion and 

tiger pictures,

picking home grown beetroot to make some rather yummy beetroot and goats cheese risotto and

working on my Molllie Makes pledge.  Here's a little peek at what I chose to make. I'm hoping to show you all later in the week.

My chill out plan was hatched because I was getting a little stressed about the mess around here.  So rather than spend the next two weeks before school starts doing my nut, I have decided for the sake of sanity to let standards slip just a little until routine returns.  I think it will mean a happy vibe around here.

Also receiving the Liebster award was really great but the most exciting thing about it has been finding so many more amazing blogs.  Lots of lovely new reading for my blog roll.

a lovely award

After receiving a lovely message, I was delighted to be awarded the Liebster Award from Ada of Vintage Sheet Addict.

Firstly a big thank you to Ada, I love your blog and am so pleased that you enjoy my ramblings.

I am really pleased to receive this award.  It is given to blogs which have less than 200 followers as a way to raise their profile and increase their readership and is a little confidence boost for the receiver.  It is lovely to know that your blog inspires and entertains others.

So to pass on the love I must choose five blogs which I enjoy and admire.

This is something I really struggle with as there are so many wonderful, funny and enjoyable blogs to choose from.  But here goes.  My chosen blogs are an inspiration and if you have a minute you should pop by and visit.

Tales of a Happy House

Morten and Me

Rainbow Vintage Home

Squiggling About

Scraps of Us

It was really difficult to choose just five, so to help me, I have tried to include blogs who like me are receiving this award for the first time.

Anyone receiving the award has the opportunity to pass it on to five blogs they love.  If you want to take part, please do and if you would rather not I understand.

Also, welcome all my lovely new followers.  Thanks to all of you who take the time to read and comment on the linen cloud.  It is very much appreciated.

happy little house

A while ago when visiting teawagontales I happened upon Jane's lovely little house shaped shelf which she had madeover with some lovely vintage wallpaper.

Having also admired some similar shelf units I thought I could have a go at my own makeover so I gathered the necessary supplies, flexed my crafting mojo and ta dah,

a happy little house finished today.

I got my vintage wallpaper pieces from Jane's etsy shop, littleteawagon and while I was there I popped one of these lovelies in my basket.

source: littleteawagon

It's destined for my much hankered after craft space which I hope I can make a reality soon.  Otherwise my leaning tower of craft supplies is in danger of imminent collapse.

bug hunt

Thought you might like to see our new friend.  The little ones have spent the afternoon bug hunting in the garden and Colin the caterpillar was the prize specimen.

Their cousin is visiting and sleeping over on his own for the first time.  You can imagine the excitement.

Curtains are pulled, jim-jams on and movie night is about to start.  I am off to pop some popcorn.  Maple syrup flavour, anyone?

granny

I wanted to take a little moment to remember my lovely granny who passed away three years ago today.

My granny Margaret, was a wonderful woman, much loved by her large family.  She had the most amazing stories to tell about her life and has left a lovely legacy behind through her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Granny was very special and she has without doubt inspired me today in my love of creating and making.

She was an amazing cook and baker and there was very little she couldn't do with a crochet hook.

Granny was ninety-five when she passed away but I feel so lucky to have spent so much wonderful time with her.

The photograph above was taken at our wedding.  Didn't she look beautiful?

summer fun

Hope you are all having a lovely Monday.  I've collaged a few more of our holiday photos.

We spent the day in two beautiful National Trust properties, Mount Stewart and Castle Ward.  The littles took part in the 'Turkey Olympics', a treasure hunt in Castle Ward and received their very own Olympic medals as a reward.  It was really great fun.

 '

We were lucky to have a beautiful sandy beach near by.  We went there in the evenings when the sun was a little less hot.  The water was really warm for paddling, a welcome change from our usual visits to the beach on the west coast of Ireland.  The Atlantic Sea is absolutely freezing.

We visited Exploris, an aquarium with touch tanks and baby seals, explored rockpools, caught crabs and generally had a ball.

All in all, the holiday was great fun and we can't wait for our next adventure.

summer holidays

We had a really lovely time on our holiday to Portaferry in County Down. Thankfully, the weather gods were smiling on us.  There wasn't a drop of rain all week and four days of glorious sunshine.



Portaferry Marina, County Down

Boats in Portaferry Harbour

We had a fun packed week.  It was our first holiday with the three little ones that Mr F and I really relaxed and chilled out. I think it's because they are becoming more independent and really enjoyed their adventure this year. The boys are already planning next years exploits.

Port at Donaghadee, County Down

Back to normality now though.  I have spent today doing laundry, stocking up on groceries and catching up with happenings in your blogs.

Thanks so much for your lovely comments before we went on holiday.  I will show you a few more photos of our holiday tomorrow.

Hope you all had a lovely week .... xx

off on an adventure

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the sea!

We're off on our holidays tomorrow and we can't wait.  The little ones have been counting sleeps for the last week.

I have finally surfaced from beneath the pile of ironing I have been ploughing through.  Our bags are packed and ready for off.

Hope you all have a lovely week and I am looking forward to catching up with you all when we get back ... xx

mollie makes pledge

Earlier this year I subscribed to the wonderful Mollie Makes magazine, my mother's day treat and now I have a lovely pile of copies which will be treasured.

As the magazine is full to brimming with lovely inspiration and brilliant tutorials I have decided to make a little pledge, not written in stone mind, that I will have a go at one of the craft tutorials each month.

In order to keep myself motivated I will include a show and tell on here.  I was inspired to make my pledge by the lovely Gillian from tales of a happy house who has made some fabric mice and friendship bracelets. Gillian has a lovely blog which is well worth a visit.

Also, I don't think I can contain my excitement.  Why, you ask?  Well the lovely Jane from teawagontales included the linen cloud in her list of new blog discoveries!  Thank you so, so much Jane!  I really couldn't be more delighted.

And to make a lovely day even lovelier, Mr F and I are going out tonight, just the two of us.  This is a rare and precious treat at the moment so I'm off to prettify myself in anticipation.

PS ... I have just clocked the number of times I have used the word lovely in this post ... but I won't apologise - things are lovely around here!

flea market and vintage buttons

Happy Monday.  Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

We had a great time at the flea market yesterday although next time we will probably go on our own.  The little ones enjoyed it but they got tired and maybe a little bored after a while.  Sadly, they haven't developed our love of rummaging in markets yet.

I did get some cute vintage buttons though and a few superhero comics for the boys and I am looking forward to going again, just as soon as I can get some babysitters arranged.

A little random prettiness, a bunch of wildflowers I rescued from the rain.

lovely new wool

Friday again.  I do love the weekend.  I'm planning to flex my crafting mojo tomorrow and catch up on a few projects which seem like they have been forever in the pipeline.

The weather has been lovely for the last few days and happiness abounds.

I had a little splurge during the week on some new wool including, the perfect pink wool for my granny blanket and I got some other lovely colours too.

We're going to Dublin Flea Market on Sunday.  I've never been before but I can't wait to see what it's like. We will be making a day of it with the wee ones, fingers crossed for some lovely sunshine.

Hope you all have a lovely Friday and a fun filled weekend.

thank you

I wanted to say a huge thank you to all you lovelies who read and follow my blog. I am constantly amazed and delighted that you take the time to read and comment on my ramblings.

I am really enjoying my foray into blogland and am looking forward to much, much more.  I love reading all your comments and emails and am so inspired by all the fun you get up to.

I also owe a big thank you to the lovely Kate who has nominated me for an award. You are too kind.

As part of the award, I have to divulge seven things about me, so here goes.

I could eat olives to a band playing, simply delicious

I love autumn so much so it's when Mr F and I got married

Three is the magic number, for me anyway

I am allergic to kiwis, a legacy of my first pregnancy

I am a business graduate but my heart is in the arts

I love blue, sky blue, petrol blue, indigo, any blue will do

I love to cook, savoury, sweet, anything really

A little random but that's how I roll!

After receiving this lovely award I am supposed to forward it on to other lovely blogs, so rather than upsetting anyone by leaving them out I want to say that there are lots of amazing blogs who deserve this award and rather than pinpoint any one in particular I think you are all lovely.  I hope this is okay, Bee x

lovely etsy

Just thought I'd share with you some lovely etsy purchases I made recently for the little fairy's bedroom, a beyond adorable dolls house cushion by alice apple.

The house is printed on to the cushion and the wee family are separate little cushions for playing house with,

and a pretty retro bird print from ellen giggenbach,

I just love the colours in this print, so bright and cheerful.  I just need to get it framed and ready for the wall now.

teddy bears picnic

Yesterday the rain humoured us and stayed away so we made the most of it, met some friends and headed off to a teddy bears picnic at a local farm shop which happens to sell the most delicious homemade icecream.  Divine.

The littles had a ball visiting the 'mumma' pig, little fairy's words and her fourteen piglets.  Can you imagine.  I can just about manage my three little ones.

We watched the jersey cows getting milked robotically which was amazing and finished up searching for eggs from the farm hens.

A good day was had by all.

  

introducing zog

Introducing Zog, the monster softie, my number one is delighted with his new playmate.  He has already taken pride of place on his bed.

Zog was created using red anti-pil fleece and handcut felt embellishments, designed by my number one.  He drew a few monsters and after some discussion with the seamstress (!*!*)  chose the best features of each to include on the final design.

Can you see the similarities?  The lightening flash on Zog's tummy is his secret superpower!

As he is intended to be used as a tooth fairy pillow I left the top side of the mouth open for the tooth and gift from the tooth fairy.

My number one really appreciated my efforts to bring his design to life so I'm ready to start the whole process again for my number two.

summer sneezes

Hello again.  Apologies for my little vanishing act in the last few days.  It had been sickie central here, summer colds galore, runny noses, sore throats, the list goes on.

On a happier note, we are all feeling much better and it's back to business as usual.  The happy madness that abounds with three crazy little ones needing constant amusement!

How pretty are these?  I couldn't resist temptation.  The lovely Florence of Flossie Teacakes has set up a pop-up shop on etsy selling some of her fabric stash - pop by and take a look.

sunshine, lovely sunshine

The lovely sun has come out to play after weeks of hiding behind rain and storm clouds. 

As a result, the general feeling around here has been get out there and make the most of it and that my lovelies it what we did.

We have been on summer walks, tending the veggies, going to football camp and generally have a smily, happy summer holiday. Long may it last!

This lovely poppy blossomed in our wildflower bank the other day, judging by the buds there are some more in the pipeline.  What a clever little plant.

sneak peek

Just thought I'd give you a little sneak peek of something I've been trying out. This is my first attempt at a patchwork quilt.

I've been freestyling with the design (code: making it up as I go along) and so far I have made 18 blocks from a stash builder pack of fabric I found on ebay.  

The fabric is from the Moda Hello Luscious range.  I really like some of the fabrics, others I'm not so sure about.  But for a first go, I'll be delighted if looks anything like a patchwork quilt.

The postman just arrived with a parcel containing red fleece - looks like the monster softie is back on the agenda.

liberty book review

On the lovely Ada's suggestion I have written a quick book review of The Liberty Book of Home Sewing.

The cover is cloth covered and is simply stunning.  There are a large number of Liberty prints used in the projects and on the book pages themselves and a lovely glossary of fabrics at the back.

The book includes some of the history of Liberty fabrics and has a good range of sewing projects including cushions, an apron, bags, a kimono, a peacock pincushion, to name a few.

The projects are designed to use Liberty fabrics and are detailed and well explained.  There is also a useful section in the book on sewing basics which would be helpful for beginners.

Overall, this is a pretty book which is also very useful for those hoping to improve their sewing skills while making lovely things for the home or as gifts.

Fans of Liberty would really appreciate this gorgeous book.

what a hoot

Just thought I would share a cushion I made recently.  It is destined for the little fairy's bedroom.

I made the front using white linen with applique, sketching the owl freehand on paper and using fabric scraps for each individual piece which were hand appliqued on to the linen.  The eyes are blue buttons.

The back of the cushion is a simple envelope style made in red lecien fabric.  

How cute is this fabric?

bliss

My idea of heaven.  A stack of craft books and a quiet corner to curl up in, cup of tea and chocolate bar to hand.  Anyone else with me on this one?

little fairy

After having two beautiful boys, Mr F and I were beyond delight when our little fairy entered the world.  Her arrival two years ago brought me much glee; an accomplice in a male dominated world.  

We built and moved into our new house just before she was born and we are slowly but surely trying to create a home to love for years to come.

Our baby girl is growing up fast and will soon be moving from her cot to a bed. So my next big home project is decorating her bedroom. We love the handmade vibe around here and her room will be no exception, more crafty goodness.  I'll keep you posted.