day 302: tarta pascualina

  happy easter to everyone ... hoping your day is a wonderful one :)

a new tradition to this home ... easter pie ... it was a fantastic addition to our easter sunday and it is here to stay :)

day 302 and i am making a tarta pascualina (easter pie) for our easter celebration today.  this is a pie that has a LONG history, dating way back to the 16th century in italy.  nowadays it is a very popular dish in south america.  this recipe is from katie at hispanic kitchen.  it is the symbolic eggs in this dish that make this a well used vegetarian dish at easter time.  the recipe is also pinned to my easter in autumn board on pinterest.

the pie has three key ingredients: cheeses, roasted red peppers, and spinach.  i read that often the spinach is replaced with swiss chard (silverbeet) and as we have a lot of swiss chard growing i went with that instead of the spinach.  apart from this change, i used the recipe as is.  i used some frozen flaky puff pastry for the pie base and top.

the wells with the eggs inserted :)

the pie ... ok, fyi you need to bake this pie for 45 minutes so the eggs are completely hard ;)  honestly though, this pie is so YUM ... better than the mini easter buns, they were good but not as good as this pie ;)

outcome:  the good news is, while many more eggs AND bunnies turned up at our home today they were all infinitely edible so there was no major addition to the egg and bunny numbers occupying this house ... good news!  so is this pie ... SO good, the filling is incredibly tasty and i plan to use it in many different ways in the future because it is so yum.  this pie will be made again and again for easter and the filling will be used throughout the year!

my thanks to katie at hispanic kitchen for this awesome recipe, really versatile and incredibly quick and easy to make for a pie.

this is what would welcome you today if you were here for easter :)

day 301: bunny napkins

the bunny napkin  :)  sorry about the poor quality photos i was trying to use steve's ipod seems as he stole the camera again tonight :o) 

day 301 and the one day you want wind on your holiday, it gets up and disappears :(  one of the sweetest bloggers and most amazing cardmaker's i know sent a gorgeous bermuda care package to my family and i.  jen lives in bermuda with luis (her sweetheart) and two of the most gorgeous, BIGGEST, funniest dogs i know, jem and atticus.

as part of the bermuda care package,  jen sent over a book about kite making for the peeps.  in bermuda it is tradition to make and fly kites on good friday, attaching a prayer to the bottom of the kite.  jen and luis are VERY busy painting this weekend, so the peeps wanted to make kites today and fly them as it's good friday (bermuda time) today so we could send some good wishes for the year ahead for jen and her family ... hence our need for wind today.  so of course we woke up to the calmest day we have had in weeks, i kid you not.  the peeps were so disappointed as we had a full day of bermuda goodness to partake in (including recipes from the calendar jen sent over).  rather than do a bit here and there we decided to postpone our bermuda festivities until easter monday and invite some of their friends over to join in the kite making and enjoy some authentic bermuda cuisine ... that seemed to sooth their grumpiness ... slightly.

instead today i thought i would make bunny napkins for our easter lunch tomorrow.  i have never made anything with a napkin, so i figured this would test my folding skills for all to see ... they just look so cute, i figured it was something that had to be given a go!  the idea is pinned to my easter in autumn board on pinterest and the instructions come from taste of home.

my dad and elaine (i hate the word step mum and she is lovely and doesn't deserve such a horrid name) gave me the most beautiful linen napkins and tablecloth for christmas that are going to be given there maiden voyage tomorrow for easter lunch.  after looking at the instructions and folding up a bunny that looked more a kin to a ball than a bunny i went searching for more comprehensive instructions ... apparently i need pictures AND words for comprehension to set in :o/  luckily i found brilliant instructions at good housekeeping and within 20 minutes i was done, ironing included ... for those that know me well, yes i said i IRONED today ;)

ok, i took this photo because my napkins weren't exactly square so didn't look like the photo  in the instructions, but i wanted to show it doesn't matter if they end up looking like this as they still turn out :) 

my family of bunnies ... bunnies are literally multiplying around my house after yesterday and today!

outcome: after the failed attempts using the taste of home instructions i was totally blown away by how cute these bunny napkins are and how a non-folding guru can actually make them!  definitely use these instructions if you have a limited origami background like me.  i did have to use a paper clip at the back of three of them because the linen was so thick at the back.

its this part that is a bit tough when you bend it round to make the body stand up :)

see the paper clip, well you probably could if i could use an ipod camera :o/

this bunny is paper clipped and you can't tell :)

so if you are going to make these with linen, use a paper clip to bind them together at the back ... you can't see them when they are standing so you are all good.  if you don't want to use a paper clip, maybe go with cotton as i don't think that would be so bulky making the folding in much easier.


my sincere thanks goes to jen who put so much thought and effort into the most gorgeous bermuda card package ... we are all still beaming :)  can't wait for monday when we will make kites regardless of the weather AND make and eat some very delicious sounding foods!  my thanks also goes to taste of home, it was their initial inspiration that lead me to want to do the bunny napkins and if i had more of a folding background i am certain your instructions would be straight forward ... but for those that need more help good housekeeping instructions were awesome and i am very grateful to them for their more detailed advice :)

day 300: easter bunnies

warmest of wishes for your good friday.  if you are travelling, safe wishes for your easter adventures wherever they may take you :)

hoppy easter everyone ;)

day 300, WOW!  it's good friday and i have thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with family and good friends.  i wanted to sit at my sewing machine today, i have had sewing withdrawal.  it was going to have to be limited but i wanted to make the effort and i found the perfect idea on pinterest from the little fabric blog.  these are the cutest, no fuss, no need to be perfect, easter bunnies.  i loved them, they require little skill as they are designed to be easy and when it comes to sewing that's exactly what i need because these bunnies have no straight lines.  these bunnies are pinned to my easter in autumn board on pinterest.

angie at the little fabric blog even provides you with a template for the littlest bunny. so there are no excuses for not making these little guys if you have scissors, sewing machine, and fabric.  i don't have pinking shears so i went with your standard straight edge finish, if they fray so be it, i will just make more :)

trace around the provided bunny pattern

cut around and sew around the edges leaving an opening for the stuffing

sew across the bottom once stuffed and then they are ready for embellishing

the finished bunny ... so cute :)

the tutorial is really well explained with pictures and text, however, it does come with a warning ... these little bunnies multiple as they are addictive to make, or words to that effect!  i decided i would be three, and before i knew it i had cut out five .. so i made five .... today.

my little family that will continue to grow :)

outcome:  tomorrow ... i will make more, i WANT baskets filled with them ... THEY ARE CUTE and it doesn't matter that they all come for the same pattern, they ALL have personalities ... you can't help but want to make more of them.  lucky for you and i they are easy to make, rewarding to do, and require limited sewing skill ... as i said, there are no excuses for not making these little guys.

the biggest thanks goes to angie at the little fabric blog for providing this tutorial free of charge to all sewing crafters.  it is an excellent tutorial with a great template and i have to thank her for providing me with yet a new addictive to add to the many i have succumbed to on p365 ... along with chalkboard paint, this is one of my favourite addictions though ;)

tomorrow we are going bermuda style for easter ;)

day 299: hot cross buns

ready for the oven :)

day 299 and we are now just a day away from beginning our easter festivities.  this year things will be a lot different than normal.  with change to the usual holiday activities, due to injury, there is freshness but some of my old favourite traditions are still doable this year.  one of my most favourite is hot cross buns on good friday.  we always start the day off with hot cross buns for breakfast and this year i thought i would make some homemade ones!

i am cheating slightly by using the breadmaker to make things a little easier.  the breadmaker i have had since i was married and it is my most favourite appliance in the kitchen bar the kettle.  this recipe from food.com caught my eye when i was scrolling around pinterest looking for hot cross bun recipes.  i pinned many recipes to my easter in autumn board but the one from food.com looked like it wouldn't be too hard to get right .... and when you are making something for a holiday tradition and there is no backup because the shops will be closed, you definitely need a recipe that looks easy and yummy!

i put everything bar the fruit into the breadmaker and set it to dough with a fruit beep.  then waited for the 2 1/2 hours for it to do its work.  the next stage was punching the air out of the dough before forming it into buns and then waiting an hour for the dough to double in size.  i then used a paste (70ml water with 50-70grms of flour) to pipe the crosses on top of the buns.  then it was into the oven with them for 15 minutes.

ready for the breadmaker

the dough

the paste for the crosses

the finished buns .... they don't look the best in this photo (darn flash!) but trust me they were really yummy even thought they were small :)

outcome:  many of the comments on the recipe site suggested this recipe made a really wet dough, i had NONE of those issues, the dough came out as it should and was nice and firm.  however, mine did struggle to double in size for the second proving.  they went into the oven and the smell was incredible when they came out.  they weren't as big as i was expecting but the one i taste tested was delicious with some butter on it :)  the buns had a nice firm crust and a good light bread texture inside.  i will put them back in the oven tomorrow morning to heat up and i am guessing the rest of the family will enjoy them as much as i did today!

my thanks to food.com for an achievable homemade hot cross buns.  love that people leave so many comments on the recipes of this sight as it's really helpful for what to expect with how the recipes work :)

the camera has left the house for the evening with my photos of today's creation so i will update this post with pictures when the camera comes come :)

day 298: mailed easter eggs

filled, and ready to send in the mail

day 298 and this year the peeps and i are mailing trinkets in plastic eggs to their friends for easter.  every easter saturday we normally have a huge easter egg hunt for the peeps friends and their families but given the lack of time i have had to organise such an event (and the amount of bending involved!) we decided not to do it this year so we needed to come up with something else for them to do for their friends instead.

i saw these mailed plastic easter eggs from giverslog and thought this would be the perfect idea.  the only plastic eggs i could find are really quite small (~2 1/2") so it required some thought as to what we could fill them with.  the idea is pinned to my easter in autumn board on pinterest.

my little plastic eggs

 as the peeps friends have food allergies i also wanted to make all the items inside inedible.  i came up with minifig lego characters (we unwrapped them so we could fit them in, money, hair accessories, marbles, lip gloss, erasers, book marks, bouncy balls, chicks (of course, given it's easter!), mini toys, plastic jewels, and other bits and pieces that would fit in the tight space :)

the various goodies

once they were stuffed full we closed them up, taped around the join and wrote the addresses on with a permanent marker.

the filled plastic eggs

almost ready to send, filled to the brim with lots of inedible trinkets :)

outcome:  i haven't posted them yet so i am intrigued as to what each one will cost!  i was amazed at how much we could fit in these little eggs ... i am going with the "its the thought that counts" on this gifting as they really are just little trinkets polly and i collected over the last day!  still its a great idea and given most peeps rarely find anything in the mail for them, bar birthdays, i am hoping the fact it turns up by postie will add to this little novelty :)

my thanks goes to giverslog for this great posting idea ... i have used her bottle in the mail idea several times over the last half year and only one of them has ever failed to turn up, so lets hope all the eggs make it safely!  

day 297: easter brownie

easter brownie

day 297 and i am back in the kitchen baking up a creation today, easter brownies :)  i got this inspiration from bake it in a cake, brownies dotted with mini easter eggs!  it is pinned to my easter in autumn board on pinterest.

i am using the brownie mix i made for yesterday's p365 creation, wanted to try it out and see how it went before making any more of it for gifting ... seemed like a wise idea ;)  this is a really easy concept, but one i never would have thought to do.  you simply make up your favourite brownie mix and then just before it heads into the oven you dot it with mini candy coated easter eggs.  cool aye :)

whisk up the mix with eggs, oil, and vanilla essence 

before putting in the oven dot with mini eggs

the baked brownie

 

the brownie complete with gooey mini eggs ... yummo :)

outcome:  so funny, steve said it looked like the sweet version of a foccacia bread!  ben said it looked like a bomb field, as all the mini easter eggs have completely disappeared into the brownie.  the good news is, it tastes awesome!  it may look odd but the gooey chocolate eggs dotted around the brownie give it outstanding texture and taste :)

my thanks to bake it in a cake for providing me with this great inspiration to turn an everyday brownie into something far more appropriate for easter sweet treats!

day 295: easter pretzel hugs

easter pretzel hugs :)

day 295 and it's getting oh so close to the easter holidays so i am making more inspired easter treats today.  ages ago i made pretzel hugs for p365 (day 41!) and they were OH SO GOOD ... the combination between sweet and salty is AMAZING.  as such, i have made them over and over again and the surprise is that adults love them just as much as kids :)

so when i saw this easter version of pretzel hugs on pinterest i pinned it immediately knowing i was definitely going to recreate them!  they are pinned to my easter in autumn board and come from the curvy carrot, such a cute name for a website and the photos are stunning.

this is such an easy easter gift to make you simply need pretzels, mini easter eggs that are candy coated and chocolate melts.  i used white chocolate melts as there is milk chocolate in the candy mini eggs.

start with a layer of pretzels in an oven tray

cover each pretzel with a chocolate melt

put them in a warm oven for three minutes and then take out and immediately add a mini egg to the melted chocolate

then bag them up ready to gift ... definitely eat some as you are undertaking this last step ;)

outcome: so cute and they came out so well i gift bagged them to gift as part of some easter basket goodies.  these will not be the only batch of these i make this week :)

my thanks to the curvy carrot for providing a perfect easter edition of the pretzel hugs so i can continue to enjoy them during another holiday season ... teehee :)

day 294: carrot shaped easter treats

the finished "carrot" easter treats :)

day 294 and the mojo is returning and i am really excited to be back creating now.  today i am going with a carrot shaped theme for easter treats.  i have been salivating at all the treat ideas on pinterest and, in particular, the ones that look so cute in piping bags to form carrot shapes.

these gorgeous waffle cone filled "carrots" are such a cute gift and something nicer than a prepackaged egg as it shows you have put time and effort (which i reckon equals love!) into the gift giving.  the idea comes from the sweetest baker and is pinned to my easter in autumn board.  the other pinterest found idea is from loralee lewis and uses triangle shaped frosting bags filled with goldfish to make some less sugary easter treat carrots!

the nice thing with both these easter treats is they only require putting together and the key ingredient for both is some clear piping/frosting bags, once you have the bags you can let your imagination take over.  we don't have goldfish in new zealand so i am using twisties for the savoury carrots instead .. they are orange and will therefore be perfect!

what you need :)

the savoury carrot version

the finished waffle cone filled candy carrot :)

outcome: AWESOME!  these took me 15 minutes to put five together and that included taking photos :) they can be far more personal and thoughtful than your standard easter egg set and i really appreciate gifts that do that.  so i am hoping the five lovely people who will receive these will also feel that way too.  just need some easter tags (when the printer co-operates) and these are ready to deliver :)

my thanks to the sweetest baker and also loralee lewis for these no fuss, inexpensive easter gifts they have put together and shared that are just so cool :)

day 292: easter decor printable

day 292 and my sweet mum gave me a gift for easter when she got home from work today and it has completely inspired me to do a little bit more easter decor today ... something easy though, does anybody else have days when they just WANT TO SLEEP ... i'm having one of those days when i just can't be bothered :)  days like this are when you need the inspiration to be creative from others and its like i am surrounded by friends and family who give me plenty of it.

the above broken eggs given to me by mum were the perfect start for a little easter vignette in our upstairs lounge.  i then went and asked pollyanna to find her sylvanian family bunnies while i went to work on finding some free easter printables to use from pinterest.  luckily there are plenty on pinterest and many are pinned to my  easter in autumn board.  today i am using a subway art from eighteen25, they design awesome subway art and i have used their's before on p365 for other holiday seasons.

in our upstairs living area we have many white accessories, so i wanted to print the subway art out in black and white to make sure the emphasis was on the egg bowls .... and it was about NOW the printer decided to have a whopping great tantrum and didn't want to print.  steve tried for over an hour to get it fixed but it would not co-operate ... according to steve, the printer and i had a lot in common today : / tomorrow is another day for the finished print to appear


outcome:  i am chuffed :)  i really didn't feel flash today and not creative but i wanted to be able to do pinterest for myself today and i did, i was creative with my little vignette ... and tomorrow it will look even better when the printer WILL co-operate and i might too!  i absolutely love my egg bowls from mum that provided the perfect inspiration ... and you know what, without pinterest i wouldn't have even thought of adding easter decor to the house so i am happy.  might not have finished creating what i wanted to create but i did something thanks to the inspiration of my greatest muse, pinterest :)

when i get my printer and i on the same side, i will be so grateful to eighteen25 for another wonderful subway art that they provide freely to print ... and that's awesome.  

day 289: easter silhouette pillow

an eggstremely good hiding place!

day 289 and i am off to hospital this afternoon for my operation so i wanted to make sure i did a home decor easter craft before i went so i can decorate for easter when i return home :)  actually i am really nervous and i wanted something to keep my mind occupied before we left for the hospital!  i found these free easter silhouettes from craft jr that i figured would look cool on some pillows.  they are pinned to my easter in autumn board on pinterest.

i am using purchased pillows to make this craft a little more doable in a short time frame.  i printed out the silhouettes at A4 size then cut them out before tracing them on heat'n'bond.  i then cut these out again before ironing the material to the reverse side, good side up.  then it was a case of cutting around the material and then ironing them in place on the pillow. i plan to finish them off using a blanket stitch and some embroidery thread while i am in hospital recovering.  if you don't feel like doing this last step there is no need to as the heat'n'bond will hold the silhouettes in place without any worries.

eat easter eggs to avoid fading away to a shadow

so easy even a manly-man can do it.....thats steves hairy arm!

cut them out and we are ready to apply to cushions

peel off backing and iron on......easy if you take the stuffing out of the pillow beforehand, hard if you don't!

outcome:  this is one of those craft ideas that you can use over and over again for all sorts of holidays.  its easy to achieve, you don't need to do any sewing if you don't want to or don't own a sewing machine, and it's really cheap to do even with ready made pillows ... the pillows were only $5 each :)  i love them and plan to do lots of different ones for each holiday season ... especially christmas!

my thanks goes to craft jr for the very cute silhouettes.  they were so easy to use and worked brilliantly on the pillows.

you might also see in the top photo day 232 (i love you because....).  this pinterest creation probably has the most impact around our home with even the peeps taking the time to add a message to someone in the family.....this has a high feel-good factor!

day 285: decorated easter eggs

the finished eggs, they are still a bit wet in this picture but i was getting impatient for sleep, sorry :$
they actually look really cool they are all dry now, i will show you an update photo when i put then in a vase :)

day 285 and it's a pretty quick creation today.  as easter gets closer each day, i get more disappointed i haven't been able to decorate for this season.  i decided to find an easter craft that i could do from bed today, so when i can move i will at least have some things on hand to decorate with :)

these book covered easter eggs from lemon tree creations looked perfect.  they are pinned to my easter in autumn board on pinterest.  i had some papermache craft eggs that needed perking up and a vintage book that was already in pieces thanks to some flowers i made last year.

i went with a papermache application of the book pages onto the eggs rather than doing the model cutting tutorial found on lemon tree creations.  i decided i wasn't up for well made, more thrown together was what i was thinking for today's creation ... there will be time for well made later this month and the next!  to adhere the pages to the eggs i used mod podge in matte and applied it with a foam brush.

the bits and bobs for today's creating

the creating: rip, dab, dab some more :)

outcome:  really cute craft.  i actually left some of the eggs for the peeps to do because i figured they would enjoy doing this as well ... that and the fact i was exhausted after half an hour of creating~!  i plan to put them all in a glass vase on the table as the start of dressing the dining room for easter, but that will be for another day :)

thanks goes to the lemon tree creations for this great easter craft.  regardless of which months you celebrate easter this is a craft that will work well for easter.