no bake rolo slice

Here's a quick and easy slice that keeps 

well but doesn't last long once

they know what it tastes like!

One 200g block rolo chocolate

A tube of 200g condensed milk

250g pkt plain biscuits crushed

1/4 cup coconut

1/4 cup butter

150g extra plain chocolate 

and 2tbsp copha for icing

Gently melt the butter and condensed milk.

Break the rolo chocolate into pieces 

and add to the butter and milk.

Stir over low heat until smooth.

Add to crushed biscuits and coconut

and mix very well.

Press into a slice pan and refrigerate.

Melt the extra chocolate and copha

and pour over cooled slice.

Pop it into the back of the fridge 

to hide it until it has set.

This slice is rich but lovely with a cuppa!

oops dickhead

Yes there has been a lull in blogging.

I have been doing a few things

but since I have lost my camera again 

I can't show you.

How does a person who lives in a house

the size of a shoebox possibly lose things?

I did finish painting a cupboard though

here is the before...

and the after

I had to pinch these from instagram

because of my camera issue but as

soon as this is resolved I'll

be back to show you some more things.

Thanks for visiting!

so you want to be a hooker?

It's just starting to get cool here 

and the blankets are coming out.

I have made quite a few crochet blankets 

and it never really occurred

to me that not everyone can crochet until a friend

recently asked me to teach her how to make a blanket.

I can't follow a crochet pattern and I don't know 

the right names for the stitches so I thought I'd do a little 

roundup here of basic crochet tutorials 

I have found on pinterest.

This is a no nonsense series of tutorials and videos created by

Anneliese of The Aesthetic Nest. 

Another one with videos from Tamara Kelly at Moogly.

When I started crocheting there weren't any videos 

to learn from but now I've watched a few researching this post and they are the way to go if you 

can't have someone in person to show you.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

Stay warm xxx

and sew life goes on

I haven't really been interested in clothes since my teens.

My sisters and I all sewed our own clothes in those days

but then you get older and have kids and sometimes you're

flat out getting out of your pjs let alone getting dressed up.

Now my kids have moved out and I'm a single

lady once again my interest in clothes has

been rekindled maybe because I actually

go out now!

I have miles of fabric to work with and 

I'm not buying anymore!

My collection of patterns is growing

and I even have a dedicated pinterest board for clothing.

Do you sew your own clothes?

The time has come for me to stop thinking

about it and just start sewing!

Stay tuned.

the fabric carrots are here

The fabric carrots will now be housed

here on my new blog.

Nothing has changed, they are still very cute!

See! Still darn cute!

Using the measurements here (in inches 'cause I'm old )

 make yourself a cardboard template.

Trace around scraps of doubled green and carroty colours . 

Stitch and trim .

Turn and stuff .

Turn under a small hem at the top and tack around .

Pull the thread to gather and  secure 3 leaves by stitching through all layers .

Add a bit of ribbon or ric rac and ta da something that won't make the Easter Bunny fat !

the dressmaker

I don't watch a lot of movies because I'm

usually watching crappy tv series on dvd.

When The Dressmaker came out I really

wanted to see it at the pictures but

by the time I thought about it again 

it was already on dvd.

Anyway I had to buy it.

In 1950s Australia Tilly the dressmaker

played by Kate Winslet

returns to her tiny hometown to right the

wrongs from her past.

As she tries to reconcile with her mother

played by Judy Davis she falls in love

while transforming the fashions of the town.

Although the whole movie was a bit disjointed

(just my own opinion)

It was fun and very Australian and come on 

now who doesn't want to see Liam Hemsworth

without his shirt on!

I liked it enough to do a blog post about it

so I really must have liked it.

Have you seen it?

It's very reasonably priced on dvd so

I do recommend you grab one maybe 

to play while you're sewing?

I'll give it a rating of 3/5.

Australian Heart Foundation

We could all go on for ages about Valentine's Day

being American blah blah blah.

The thing is I have never gotten into the whole deal

but some do and to each their own.

I've gathered up a few hearty crafts that

can be for Valentine's Day. 

Or not.

Pretty Little Button Heart Canvas from here.

Crochet heart pattern from here.

Jigsaw heart from here.

The most important link you'll find 

here today is this one.

So if you are undecided about Valentine's Day

but want to do something good for your heart

it's easy to make a donation.

Heart disease kills one Australian every 27 minutes!

Personally I think my donation is more important

than flowers and chocolates.