two little dickie birds

It was our little girls second birthday this month. We can't believe she is two already!

With lots of little kids around for her birthday party we had a sugar free party. I made a sugar free lemon and almond cake using Xylitol, a natural sweetener found in corn husks. I drizzled the cake with lemon juice and dissolved honey to keep it sticky and hold it's shape. Then cut it into bricks to make the wall. The mortar for the wall is Philadelphia cream cheese, honey and berry juice for the pink colouring.

I made the birds from scraps of felt, fabric and pieces of wire found in the shed. Peter and Paul ended up being quite feminine!

pocket mouse

A few months back I found this little mouse, and fell in love with him. He arrived in the post and now lives on my cupboard. It is so beautifully made from felted wool and recycled tweed. Have a look at Marjji on etsy... beautiful folk art and vintage items.

www.Marjji.etsy.com

happy birthday alli

Crocheted, felted wool slippers for my cousin. I'm starting to get the hang of the felting now. It can be a bit hit and miss. Throwing a pair of wool slippers in the washing machine always seems a bit risky, and often they shrink more than I intend them to. Like Cinderella and the glass slipper, who ever the slipper fits best... Luckily these ones I crocheted for Alli fitted her perfectly. Happy Birthday.

felt slippers

I found the cutest pattern for crochet felted slippers and they reminded me of Mariska. So I had to make them for her. I had no idea how they would turn out. When I finished crocheting them, they seemed so huge, about twice the size they should have been. I crocheted a little sample piece and felted it by hand in a bowl of hot water. It seemed to work ok, so I thought if I put the slippers in a pot of hot water on the stove they should shrink and felt. After an hour standing stirring the pot they were only a fraction smaller and hardly felted at all. I could still see all the crochet stitches. So I stuck them in the washing machine on the hottest program for an hour. A little scary. It brought back memories of when I put my Dad's woollen scarf in the wash when I was a teenager. When I took the slippers out of the machine I had that same feeling of oh no I shrank them! But this time it was a good thing. They were the perfect size, and better than I thought they would turn out. The perfect birthday pressie for a sister with a winter birthday.