Rocking Dog Thinks Ahead To A Chocolatey Easter!
Are You Ready For An Egg Hunt?
I got a little bit carried away thinking about a chocolatey Easter. The vibrant blossom everywhere set me mulling over all those forthcoming opportunities to gather flowers, select pretty foil wrapped eggs and making indulgent Rocking Dog bakes for friends and neighbours. Admittedly Easter is still a little way away but there is nothing wrong with a little bit of planning, hunting and gathering! As we left Umbria our local patisserie Michele & Co was beginning to put out Easter loveliness. Crisp white tissue papered packages were embellished with silk flowers, wool, lace, ribbon and twine. His styling is inspirational as are his delicious sweet offerings.
Yesterday I made pretty lined bags for going on a future egg hunt. Gingham was selected as the structured pattern is perfect to use as guidelines for sewing lines of braid and ribbons. I added appliqué eggs and the linings came from a vintage embroidered tablecloth. The bags constructed, I used lace for handles and finally sewed some pretty vintage buttons for extra frou factor.
My favourite garden in the village is in full flourish. It is wild and lovely. Narcissi, Tete de Tete, Daffodils and Fritillaria push through the grass in generous clumps. The garden is bordered by Japonica, Camelia, Catkin and fruit trees. Its organic wild nature makes me smile… always. After cutting back hedges neatly in Italy I had that moment of bad haircut regret! A degree of shagginess and un-eveness definitely gives a garden an air of mystery and romance. This local garden has romance and whimsy aplenty. I can definitely imagine a good egg hunt there.
Oooh I feel a Chocolat moment coming on!
By the way the next Rocking Dog creative Huddle will be on Wednesday 29th March 7-9pm. All welcome. Delicious homemade cake, chat and creativity. Donations into the teapot with a percentage to Fine Cell Work supporting prison inmates to sew wonderful things.
They're Going On An Egg Hunt!
A quick Rocking Dog Birthday wrap. I still maintain it is quicker to sew a present into its wrap than using scissors and tape. My latest wrap was done with a piece of jolly wallpaper. I found a £5 oddment roll found in Laura Ashley and had ideas that I could make table runners which children could colour in at a party. The bold print would also lend itself to making hats, wall banners and other party paraphernalia.
George Pig goggles and swim shorts sewn into their wrap, I adorned the parcel with a plastic fish (a piece of flotsam and jetsam from Weston Super Mare).A tag was stamped and gingham ribbon tied. The final flourish was a trove of foil wrapped chocolate coins. I attached these with double sided tape. Voila!
Rocking Dog loves a bit of innovative wrapping and so I thought i'd dig out some archive Rocking Dog images. Cake cases, ripped magazines, brochures, old books, ribbon, string and stamps are all favourite flotsam and jetsam for hoarding Rocking Dog!
We are talking about a Christmas wrap of the paper kind. Perish the thought of Rocking Dog attempting to musically rap!
Rocking Dog has wrapped all the presents, and not a sheet of commercially bought wrapping paper has crossed the kennels threshold! Wallpaper, magazine copy, tissue paper and photocopied manuscript paper feature heavily. Bakers twine, tree decorations and luggage labels have been used to frou the assembled packages.
Today's parcel is a fragrant bar of soap that I decided to wrap in sheet music. Recently I bought an old booklet of Christmas carols in a charity shop for a bargainous £1. In the past I have used sheet music to make festive crowns, crackers and cards. I love it, even though I cannot read music.
I neatly wrapped the soap using double sided tape to secure the parcel. Bakers twine bought in Poundland and bristly tree from Tiger were used to prettify the package. Finally a small brown luggage label was stamped with a seasonal message. Voila!
This post was meant to be all about making membrillo. Unfortunately half way through cooking the quince paste, the gas ran out! These are the joys of living in an area without mains gas. I'm hoping a delivery will be forthcoming before Sunday otherwise Christmas lunch could be more than a little interesting. Sandwich anyone?!
Rocking Dog Bag For Scottish Goodies!
There are a raft of Birthdays and thank you's to gift wrap for this June. Rocking Dog is too mean to buy gift wrap and loves to do a bit of creative recycling.
My mother in law has a birthday this weekend and I have made a bag from a vintage tea towel. Being Scottish I thought she'd appreciate the burly piper and nostalgic Scottish recipes. The bag will be filled with a homemade fruitcake, shortbread and other Scottish delicacies, a tin of salmon (yuk!), Irn Bru, porridge (anyone of a nervous disposition please don't click on that last link!), Scotch pies, haggis i'll see what I can scavenge! Interestingly the bag was made in a similar way to the reading glasses case, and so there's not a raw hem to be seen. I doubled up Tartan ribbon for handles (sorry I don't know which tartan) and neatly attached them to the bag. I was feeling very chilled, sewing whilst listening to a bit of Barry! Maybe it would have been more appropriate to sing along to something a bit more…. well, Scottish!
A thank you prezzie was wrapped in jolly spot with a spotty ribbon to boot. I used a pretty piece of scrapbooking paper. TK Maxx do a great selection of craft products at discounted prices. The parcel was completed with a chalkboard label (again TK Maxx) and I used a white rollerball pen. Looking at my rather scratchy handwriting I rather think I need a new one.
Another thank you present was a hand baked fruit cake, unfortunately the tin was rather Christmassy, no it really isn't time yet Michael! However, for the wedding we bought tea towels from Ikea to use as napkins, and there was a little unused stash. I therefore placed the tin on a towel and gathered up the corners before securing with some string. The pretty label came from the front cover of a free John Lewis "Cook" magazine. I hope the boys will enjoy eating a generous wedge of cake whilst deciding what to do next in their truly wonderful garden (it definitely counts as one of my top 5 favourite gardens, with its Mr McGregor vegetable patch, orchard, orangery, ice house, vines, espalier fruit trees and of course the cottage garden flowers). Botanically and creatively yummy!
Finally a "mock up" voucher. I wanted to make a gift voucher envelope from a restaurant menu. This one was made from a menu for "The Pig". I added a stamped label and a polished horse brass depicting a pig, and tied it with some linen ribbon. I thought it worked rather well. Incidentally the horse brasses were an impulse purchase in a charity shop. I bought about 25 for £5 and have hopes they'll grace presents with a bit of brassy bling. I don't think they'll ever see their way onto any of the beams at the kennel thankfully.
So presents wrapped, some have been delivered, and others are yet to be given. Just where can I get Irn Bru, and tell me just what do cold battered Mars Bars taste like?!