day 346: crockpot roast chicken

the crockpot roasted chicken, it was so very delicious!

day 346 and i am making a roast in the crockpot.  i have been wanting to try a chicken roast in the crockpot for ages but have just never got around to it.  today i did and i was so pleased i did ... trust me.

the recipe and inspiration comes from busy mommy and is pinned to my recipe must do's board on pinterest.  the lovely emily of busy mommy has a rub for inside and outside the chicken to make it like a bought rotisserie one.  sounded good as i love purchasing cooked chooks because they are such an easy dinner on busy days :)

the rub has garlic, dried onion, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and these are made into a paste with water.  i put the chicken rub all around the insides and outsides, turned the crockpot on high and walked away for 3 hours ... then i came back to the most amazing smell, honestly the smell was so good i started salivating!

the rub ingredients plus i added a little peri peri seasoning ;)

rubbed and ready to cook ... sorry jenny, more poor food photos!

another terrible photo but the smell was so good, we couldn't wait to taste it so it was the only one i got!

outcome: i will never cook another chook in the oven, this is way too easy and doesn't make a mess in my oven with splatters!  the taste was divine and the meat was beautifully moist and actually falling off the carcass ... so good, the whole family loved it.  i'm going to make one again this week as it was that yummy i wanted leftovers for sammies but this one didn't survive to see the fridge ;)

the biggest thanks to emily of busy mommy, you have saved me from cleaning my oven from a chicken roast and given me another perfect dinner go-to for busy nights .. truly awesome, try it yourselves!

day 345: feltie owl friend

meet oscar owl

day 345 and i have reached the mystical realms of having a blog that has had so many repins i am now considered spam .... THANK YOU to you all for repinning!  and as soon as pinterest take me off their spam list you will continue to be able to repin.  at the moment i can't even repin my creations to my 365 board, i am hoping they will get it sorted before 365 days are up :)

on with today's creation, yes i am back to the felt and sewing.  you know when you have really enjoyed or are so happy with a project you have completed you want to keep doing it?  that's where i am at with felting at the moment, i am loving the little trinkets i have made from felt over the last week or so and just want to keep making more.  this cute little owl spoke to me and i figured as polly had a babushka or two recently join her in her bedroom ben could do with a new friend too ... i am thinking oscar is a name that will stick with this wee owl.

the owl tutorial comes from home life, a great website out of australia for home décor.  the tutorial is also pinned to my sewing diy board on pinterest.  good news for those of us who can't draw, the tutorial also comes with a printable template ... yippeee

start with some felt and fabric scraps

do a whole lot of cutting

an hour and a half later you have a fine looking oscar owl :)

outcome:  cute ... took a little while with to come together with all the hand sewing but it was definitely satisfying once oscar was all put together :)  the pattern was easy to follow along with the template and i plan to take some time (once i find some!) to look around home life and find other projects to fill our home with :)

my thanks to home life for the tutorial and all the good advice that was incorporated into it.  i love when something you see turns out just as well in reality!

day 344: crochet butterflies

my happy little (flock/school/herd) of butterflies

day 344 and those who have been following since the beginning will know i have no crochet skills but it was my new years resolution to get some this year ... it has been a slow process but i am getting there thanks to my dear friend dee and some lovely tutorials i have found on pinterest.  today i had some time so i thought i would give pattern reading a go :)  ...  hope you are proud dee, i am taking your advice!


i found these sweet little butterflies on little birdie secrets, they were too cute and looked like the perfect size for a weary crafter to tackle today.  the blog offers tutorials and patterns for several different sizes of butterflies so you can make them to suit your needs.  the tutorials are also pinned to my crochet ... my new years resolution board on pinterest.  i used a 100% viscose type wool as it had a little shimmer to it i thought would be perfect for my little butterflies.

my lovely mum photographing me trying to crochet!

the first one ... then you add the body and antennae by just wrapping a wool around the middle ... 

and she was done ... i was really pleased with my first attempt .... 

... so i made another one ...

... and then they just started multiplying!

outcome:  the little beauties are multiplying :) as a beginner crocheter even for me these only take 15 minutes to make including adding the little body and antennae.  i love them, definitely have made a heap today so i am going to attach them to all sorts of things over the next couple of days including polly's bed pillows, a card, a frame, and anything else i find lying around that needs a butterfly to brighten my day ... hehehehe

my sincere thanks to little birdie secrets, the patterns were so easy to use, i will be back to pin more of them to my boards to make some other crochet beauties as my skill develops!

day 343: day 342: day 341: all rolled into one nice little (not) post

the apples from day 342 :)

days 34.... and i have been down to tauranga with my mum laying to rest her mum/my gran.  it was a tiring but happy time with all the family and i loved seeing many whom i haven't seen in ages ... too long.  i decided on some felt creations to make while i was away so i didn't need to take all my crafty stuff with me!  i was so pleased i had taken the time to print out the patterns before i left as i got absolutely no wifi reception at the motel we were staying at.  lovely (older) owners who were desperately kind but had no idea about technology!  they tried hard each day while i was out to hook me up but without luck.  as i only had time late in the evening to be crafty and didn't have time during the day to excuse myself to an internet cafe i was stuck calling steve with the details!

the boy cuzzies :)

day 341 i made a gorgeous felt mug of hot cocoa, tutorial and template from flamingo toes who was guest posting on a glimpse inside.  this tutorial is also pinned to my winter wonderland board on pinterest. it is so cute and my aunties were very impressed with my sewing :) i told them it had improved over the year of pinterest creating ... i loved how the little marshmallows look like best friends so i am actually going to attach it to a frame and give it to polly's little friend with a picture of them inside ... then i am going to make some more for some sort of winter décor thing-a-me ...

it was late when i took this photo .,. clearly my eyes were seeing double!

so even though this photo shows them unfinished at least you can see the cocoa in this one!  i will take a photo of the completed one when i unpack tomorrow .. too tired to tonight!

day 342 and i was back to sewing with felt today but this time it was apple coasters, tutorial from the purl bee.  the tutorial is pinned to my autumn comfort board and i am getting in just in time before autumn turns to winter!  i loved making these and chatting with my aunts on our last night in tauranga!  they were such good support and my mum kept on making hot drinks to keep me going :)  i made two, one with a bite out of it.  i didn't quite have the right green to make green ones so they were both rosy red.  They weren't too hard to make and i have really loved all the things i have made from the purl bee over the last (almost year) of pinterest creating.  the tutorials are always so brilliant, easy, and user friendly ... definitely a place i go often for inspiration :)

happiness in apple coasters :)

and today, day 343 we drove home, and then had polly's best friend's birthday this afternoon ... it was a BUSY day!  the party was awesome and hayley's face was priceless when she saw her new barbie house steve had made her, so cool :)  i came home from the party and was exhausted, and was looking for something to make when i stumbled over this pin on my pinterest winter wonderland board.  the pin comes from a season for all things an steve has been putting in some long work hours the last couple of weeks, leaving without breakfast.  i thought these little ready-to-go oatmeal/porridge packets would be perfect for him over winter to take to work. something easy and hot he can put together when he arrives at work, making sure he starts the day with a decent brekkie ... and as a bonus hopefully i will earn some brownie points after all he has had to to for me this year!  the oatmeal pin comes from a season for all things and is an adaptation of a recipe from life as mom.

the ingredients

the added ingredients :)

i used the recipe as was except for omitting the sugar (on account of steve being a diabetic) and added sultanas and coconut instead for some sweetness.  it looked really good in the pack and knowing all you have to do is pour it into a bowl with 2/3 cup of boiling water and leave it to stand for a couple of minutes sounded really good to me!  we will have to wait to see how this one pans out for steve, i'll let you know :)

steve's breakfasts all ready to go :)

my sincere thanks to all the lovely blogs that have helped me complete a pinterest creation each of the last three days: flamingo toes, a glimpse inside, purl bee, and a season for all things ... all great sites with so many wonderful ideas.  that's it from me, i'm off to bed :)

day 342: apple coasters

kirsty is still in tauranga staying at a motel with dodgy wireless internet connectivity.  she has completed the creation but simply cant post the blog.......im curious to see what these apple coasters are, but have to wait until tomorrow just like you!!!!.

thanks for your patience.......

day 341: flamingo toes cocoa ornament

kirsty is in tauranga staying at a motel with dodgy wireless internet connectivity.  its a bit of a family gathering for an ashes ceremony for kirstys grandmother who passed away a while ago.  best efforts have been made to post todays creation, but technology has failed kirsty miserably.

kirsty will have another try tomorrow so please check back then.......at worst she will resume on saturday (day 343....not long to go!)

day 340: a birthday card

hayley's birthday card :)

day 340 and polly's little friends birthday is getting nearer so its time to get creative and make a card for her.  i loved this card from kelley eubanks that was highlighted on the moxie fab world website ... who doesn't have a load of thickers with a ton of exclamation marks waiting for some inspirational use!  this card is also pinned to my paper crafts board on pinterest.

that's a lot of thickers that no longer spell may words!

i have plenty .... way too many thickers sheets with all the important vowels used up and lots of punctuation sitting, waiting, for use.

the lovely thing about kelley's card is you only need card and a pen to finish it with the exclamation marks!  yah, as many of you will know my paper crafting stash is minimal so this card works perfectly for me.  one of hayley's favourite colours is purple so rather than a white card i went with purple :)

the only other crafty things you will need :)

outcome:  i love that it uses so little but it's still funky and looks cool!  it took only 10 minutes to make which is awesome for me ... cards usually take forever for me because i don't know what i'm doing.

my gratitude to kelley eubanks for the awesome card she created, she is an amazing card designer and you can find heaps of her designs on her blog my front porch ... aaahhhh just another paper crafting guru i will be following ;)