pippa's long stockings

I am still alive...and creating

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Fri, 29 May 2015 21:20:00 +0000

Just thought I'd check in and say I am still alive. Not only that, but I've been painting and drawing and making.

Blogging has been on hold for a while because getting to a computer is not something that happens much these days - these days are filled with rainbow rice, Playmobil tractors and trying to discourage my children to climb up the furniture. So previously, the photos I would post were taken on my Nikon and edited in Lightroom. They are now taken on my phone and probably uploaded from my phone too. So, while the quality of the photos will be a little different, there will at least be some content, where before there was none!

This week, I'll be getting things ready for a craft fair next week. My stall will probably look much the same as it did last time...

inky feather doodle

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 19:56:00 +0000

Finding the time (and space!) to make stuff these days doesn't happen much, which is one of the reasons I've been spending more time in my sketchbooks - much easier to tidy away a book than a whole table of papers, paints, paintbrushes, glue, scissors, sewing machine, pins, fabrics, etc.

Here's a feather doodle.

Previously, I would photograph things for my blog in good light, with a camera instead of a phone. Well, as there are two tiny people occupying my days, that doesn't happen either! So instead, this was taken in poor light, with my phone, once the children were in bed.

It's been quiet around here...

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Sat, 03 May 2014 00:52:00 +0000

And when I say here, I certainly don't mean my house. I have a two and a half year old so it's rarely quiet.

This blog, however, has been quiet. There's a reason for that.

This happened...

Then, about a month ago, this...

This is baby R. He's now a bit over 1 month and we're slowly finding our groove.

Nowt else to say. I could try, but my rain has turned to porridge... my rain?! I meant my brain. And, to prove a point, it just took me about a minute to find the exclamation mark on the keyboard. So apparently, writing a blog post during a feed at 1.45 in the morning doesn't make for a very riveting or coherent post (the word 'coherent' ended up with a 5 in it before I corrected it*), hey ho!

*It's not even like I'm using a touchscreen. I am using an actual keyboard.

Make your own nappy cake {tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 13:14:00 +0000

Way back in February 2011, I posted photos of a baby shower. The November before that, I also photographed a tutorial for a nappy cake, but never got around to actually blogging it. So...

I think the step-by-step photos speak for themselves, but if you think there's anything which needs clarifying, put it in the comments and I'll add some text to the post.

With my first nappy cake, I was told that Huggies were the best, so I used those. I now know that, if you're going to use disposables, Pampers are rubbish and Huggies aren't much better. If you're looking for the best disposable nappies, go to Aldi. Anyway, back to the tutorial...

And here's one I made earlier:

How I made my digger cake

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 17:16:00 +0000

So, this was my inspiration:

(Found here)

Having relatively little experience with cake decorating (no, really), I was particularly won over by the words (on Pinterest) saying, 'EASIEST CAKE EVER!'

Yet, this is not what I ended up with. *Sigh* I don't seem to be capable of choosing the easier option. Story of my life. "Oh, but we're not really fussed on chocolate cake...shall we make a vanilla sponge? But then it would look weird to just break into a vanilla sponge, so it should be iced, really...ooh, if we add another tier to the cake, we could have a road spiraling up...but that might be weird so maybe just a road around the bottom...or if we have a third tier then there would be more space to put his name and age...but just black and white might look a bit stark - ooh we could have grass going around each tier!"

I don't know why I do this to myself.

So, I started by making a few simple sponge cakes - two for the bottom layer, two for the middle and two for the top, using passionfruit curd between each layer (so scrummy!). Knowing I had no experience with roll-out icing (other than little O's 1st birthday cake, which I kept very simple and yet it still stressed me out), I thought I'd go for angled layers, so that it has an intentionally wonky look to it, thus relieving the pressure of it needing to be perfect.

Before attempting the roll-out icing, I started by watching a couple of YouTube videos. ALL LIES. How do they make it fall and shrink to the sides so perfectly?! Mine did not do that: I had to sort of squash it and chop it and stick it back together. Anyway, once it was iced (I used a chopping board instead of a cake board: reusable, and this one had a handle - handy!), this is what it looked like:

For the road, I mixed a load of black food colouring into some roll-out icing, then rolled it into a big long snake, which I positioned around the cake. I have no idea what a pro would have done, but this worked for me.

I used a glass to roll out the road (the handle on my mini rolling pin would have meant it would have dented/scraped the cake).

Not perfect, but I was happy enough.

Next, I rolled out some white icing into a thin snake and chopped bits off, sticking them to the road. I rolled them flat using the glass.

I wanted to have my son's name on the cake, along with his age. I don't have any number cutters (this surprised me), but thankfully I wasn't needing to spell 'seventy eight', so I went with the word 'two' instead of the digit.

Problem: I couldn't get the icing letters out of the cutters without them looking badly mangled. (How do the pros do it?!)

So, I decided to do things a little differently...

In the fabric world, this would be called reverse applique. Is there a name for it in the icing world?

Rather than dusting the board with icing sugar, which would dry out the icing, I rolled it out onto cling film/food wrap. If you have a silicone mat, that would work too. It also made it super easy to flip over onto a pallet knife...

I then dabbed a bit of water onto the back and stuck it onto the cake.

Knowing the cake would be carried from room to room (keeping it out of sight of the birthday boy), I stuck cocktail sticks into the cake and put the traffic cones on top. That way, the cones might wobble but they wouldn't just fall off.

Before cutting a chunk out of the cake, I played about with positioning the construction vehicles. I picked the most dented bit of the bottom layer to cut into, filling it with 'dirt' (crushed Oreos and plain digestives. I'm sure I've only ever used our marble pestle and mortar for crushing confectionery).

While I had been working on the icing, my mum had skillfully been cutting the strips of grass out of bright green cardstock. On the top and middle tiers, the grass was attached by taping the ends together. As there needed to be a gap on the bottom tier, I fixed the grass in place with a cocktail stick either side of the dirt. This was then hidden beneath a pile of dirt.

As things look better in 3s, I added another traffic cone and a pile of 3 'logs' (chocolate cigar wafer things) on the middle tier.

The final finishing touch were the candles in the crane (held in place by pushing them into a black ball of icing). That was my mum's idea (thanks, mum).

Whose black elbow is this and what are they doing in my photo?! How rude.

The birthday boy loved it. Although, being 2, I'm sure he would have been just as happy with something FAR MORE SIMPLE.

Childcare Venn Diagram

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:24:00 +0000

Here are my thoughts on finding help with childcare, in the form of a Venn diagram.

Chewy sprinkle party cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 14:31:00 +0000

These are the most delicious cookies I've ever made: chewy, doughy cookies with white chocolate chicks and plenty of sprinkles.

This year, we were away for Mr Pippa's birthday. As the only thing he'll 'allow' me to do is make him a cake (and even then it was a few years before he agreed to it, on the condition that there are no candles, balloons, decorations or singing). Not knowing what the kitchen would be like in our holiday accommodation, I thought it might might be a bit much to attempt a cake, so I brought the ingredients to make these cookies, which Mr Pippa had for breakfast, straight from the oven.

Brightly coloured sprinkles are really hard to find in the UK. All I could find were these, which look a bit faded.

I got the recipe from a blog called Sally's Baking Addiction (link to the recipe here - check out how bright her sprinkles are!).

One question I used to have when making cookies was this:

How do you get the cookies to stay thick and puffy and not go like crispy cow pat?

Well, I discovered this secret from Sally's Baking Addiction:

Firstly, chill the cookie mix.

Secondly, instead of rolling the mix into balls, I moulded the mix into little towers and put those chilled cookie mix towers on the baking sheet.

What with chilling the cookie mix before baking, one could prepare the mix, then pop in the oven right before a party (or just whenever you fancy dunking a freshly baked cookie into your brew, which in my case would be around 3pm on any day of the week).

Rainbow Cake, take two

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:56:00 +0000

I made this cake in March/April, but it's taken me this long to share it with you because my life is incredibly busy at the mo and I don't get much time to do things I enjoy, like baking and blogging (and drawing and painting and sewing and making and... I could go on).

I first made a rainbow cake (and shared with you how to make one) way back in March 2011 (but I didn't end up blogging about it until July because that seems to be how things go on this blog).

I used a different recipe this time (recipe from Good Food magazine, April issue). I also used a smaller baking tin - 5 inch instead of 7 inch.

I didn't want the individual layers to be too deep (it does have 6 layers, after all), so only half-filled them with cake mix. Other than using a different recipe, I followed exactly the same process as the last time I did a rainbow cake.

Below, I played about with the order I wanted the layers. Much less messy if each layer is wrapped in food wrap.

Unlike last time, I didn't put a layer of lemon curd along with the icing between each layer. This cake used a mascarpone icing and I spread it thickly between each layer.

Recipe for the icing/frosting:
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 x 250g tubs mascarpone (or light cream cheese)
350g icing sugar

Briefly beat the mascarpone and the vanilla, then fold in the sifted icing sugar.

These cakes were very different to the standard Victoria sponge recipe I used previously. They were incredibly dense, chewy and had a sheen in the outside.

I smothered the cake in mascarpone icing, chucked some sprinkles at it and put it in the fridge to 'set'.

It was heavenly. The best thing about it, in my opinion, was the mascarpone icing. I found the sponge itself a bit too heavy and as a cake, I'm not too sure about it. As a dessert, however - yes! Better to have half a slice (or less!) with a dollop of ice cream.

A few months later (so, just recently), I made a blue ombre cake, using this recipe, for my friend's baby shower. It was an incredibly hot day and the mascarpone icing did not fare well. In fact, I couldn't finish my slice (shock horror!). Later, however, when the cake was allowed to chill in the fridge, it was like eating a different cake.

A bit of my summer

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 20:23:00 +0000

I've been quite busy over the summer. No crafting, sadly, but lots of days out and hanging out in the garden. I am seriously behind of photo editing, but you can see what I've been up to over on my photo blog.

Making Dribble Bibs From Old Tees

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Fri, 31 May 2013 20:32:00 +0000

In this post I will show you how to make your own dribble bibs.

[Warning: this post mentions dribble/drool and small children.]

Difficulty level: stupidly easy

So, why dribble bibs? Why not just bibs? Well, these bibs have a layer of micro fleece next to the skin, meaning the neck is kept completely dry while the bib is wet with drool. It's like some kind of magic! Yes, sliced bread was a pretty cool invention, but fleece was next in line.

So, here's what you'll need:
An old t-shirt, which is no good to anyone anymore (you know you're far too old to be wearing that Sesame Street top and it's way too bobbly to pass it on to someone else)
Some micro fleece (not microfibre - that stuff is very different and will make a huge mess the moment you cut into it. Micro fleece should just look like a really thin fleece blanket.)
Needle and thread
Velcro (or poppers, if you'd prefer)

1. How to get the right size/shape bib

To get the bib to the size/shape I wanted, I used a different bib as a template. Although this £8 Skibz bib looks cool, it's actually rubbish. Don't waste your money. I like the size and shape though, so I drew around that.

2. Cut your fabric

If you want to use the motif/image/logo on the tee, position your paper template accordingly and cut around it. You could either use your fancy rotary cutter, or you could pin the paper template to the fabric and cut around it with scissors, like the rest of us. Do the same with the fleece and pin it to the back of the bib.

The fleece definitely won't fray. The fabric of the top might, depending on what it is. But, because the look of these bibs is a repurposed 'hey-this-used-to-be-a-top' rough around the edges, I don't think it matters it it frays a bit.

3. Sewing the thing together

So, if you're following this, you should have your fabric and fleece pinned together (see above). Make sure the logo/pattern on your fabric is facing up, as you'd like it in the finished product. Either by hand or with a machine, stitch the bib, about 1cm in from the edge all around.

4. Adding the fastening

I chose Velcro because it's cheap and you don't need any fancy equipment to attach it. Cut the Velcro to size (I bought a roll of it from eBay) and pin in place - one bit on the fleece side of the bib and one bit on the fabric side (make sure you've got one fuzzy and one catchy, not two fuzzys or two catchys. Y'know - a positive and a negative. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how Velcro works but you never know these days). When you're happy with the placement of the Velcro, stitch it in place.

That's it! Bib done! ~~Stick it to a baby~~ Gently fasten it around your baby's neck and watch in amazement as that bad boy soaks up a gallon of drool!

Another handy thing about these bibs is that they're great for an extra bit of warmth around the neck for babies during the colder months. Which could mean any time of the year if you're in Britain.

So, not sure what to do with the extra fabric left from making this belly band? Make some bibs! This could be a cool baby shower gift.

Months 1-12

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:03:00 +0000

I made a promise to myself that I would keep this blog crafty and not flood it with baby posts (I have a separate blog for that gross mushy stuff), but here's one picture I thought I'd share here.

Aren't those nappies just so cheery?

For a full post on how to create your own monthly baby shoot, hop on over to my other blog here.

Scrappy fabric tutu {no sewing}

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:39:00 +0000

Hello you.

It's been a wee while. Turns out that life with a toddler is even more all-consuming than life with a baby. Who knew?! However, I did also have my BSL level 3 to complete, but that's done now, so I have time to blog.

So, a little while ago (summer, perhaps. I'm not sure), I was commissioned to make something for a 3 year old girl. I excitedly suggested a tutu. I was told that the girl already loved tulle ballerina tutu. Ah, but did she have a scrappy fabric tutu?! ~~This is a whole new world of tutu~~. ~~This is a whole new tutu world. This is a new tutu for a new world.~~ This is... different.

I used strips (varying lengths) of fabrics, with some Cath Kidston fabrics thrown in.

Using a 1" wide strip of elastic, I made a circle and tied it in a knot.

Taking the fabric strips, I tied/knotted them to the elastic.

It really was that easy. You could definitely make this.

And, because I didn't have a 3 year old girl to hand, I decided to model the tutu on my son's teddy so you could kind of see how it might look worn around the waist.

The teddy did not look happy about being used like this.

Bath Christmas Market

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:14:00 +0000

Here are some pictures I took on my magical picture box when I went to Bath Christmas Market at the end of November.

rainbow cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:51:00 +0000

It began when I spotted this plushie on Pinterest.

I wanted one for my own baby. So I made one.

He really likes it.

the finished rainbow playmat

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 09:30:00 +0000

My intention was that it could be used as a thin quilt and double up as a playmat. I now think it wouldn't make a particularly cozy quilt, so it's just a playmat. A super cool playmat.

So, these were the fabrics I chose back in September. They didn't come as part of a set. I just had a rummage in the 'fat quarter' bin for the brights and was most pleased with what I found.

And here's what I did with them next:

I had bought some cheap fleece a while back, so used that as the middle/inside of the playmat (you quilters are probably flinching at my having made it up as I went along). I kept the back plain, as it's only going to be on the floor anyway.

I ran it through the machine and stitched some wavy lines. But not too wavy.

I couldn't decide on which colour bias tape to use, so I went with four. Orange spotty:

Plain purple:

Blue spotty:

And plain green, which you can see the first picture of the finished playmat.

It was first used when O was a month old and I did a one month photo shoot with him lying on the mat (with plenty of cushions underneath to support him).

Now, it's used as an actual playmat. He has fun on there, which makes me happy.

rainbow quilt/playmat

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:03:00 +0000

So, you may remember that a while ago I bought some gorgeous fabrics with the intention of making a quilt for the baby. Not knowing whether we were having a girl or a boy, I wanted to go gender-neutral while still being fun, which is why I went for the brights. I made a start on it pretty much immediately and here's what the first side looked like:

I have since finished it, but need to photograph it. Well, actually, I have sort of photographed it, but there's a baby on it in every picture. So I'll take one of quilt/playmat minus baby to share with you. I'm rather pleased with it.

the story of a bump

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:18:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:38:00 +0000

My little boy is now one week old. Not much else to say, really.

He has cool hair.

the obligatory bump picture

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:10:00 +0000

The last bump picture I posted on here was on this post, where I thought I had the biggest bump ever.

Ha. I now see how friends and strangers couldn't tell I was expecting back then.

Well, that marvellous maternity wrap top has grown as I have and I'm so glad I went for it and made one myself, even though I had the impression that my lack of a serger would put me at a disadvantage (I just used zig zag stitching instead).

These pics were taken a few weeks ago, before all of the leaves fell off that tree. And when I could still make myself look presentable. And when putting one foot in front of the other wasn't such a challenge.

If you're thinking of making one of these tops (you can make a non maternity version, y'know), I thoroughly recommend it. The most fiddly and time-consuming part of making it is cutting out the pattern. The sewing is a doddle. Doddle. I don't think I use that word enough.

The most fiddly and time-consuming part of actually owning/using this garment is finding a way to drape it on a hanger. Although, that's a doddle when you compare it with the time it takes to put on. Blimey. It reminds me a bit of that game you play with young people where each team is given a roll of toilet paper and they have to wrap one of their team mates up like a mummy. Worth it though (the top, not the toilet paper game. That's just a waste of toilet paper).

The next couple of weeks may feature loads of blog posts, as I pass the time until this little one arrives. Alternatively, it could go very very quiet, signifying the arrival of said little one. I'm hoping for the latter but preparing for the former.

I still haven't shown you my quilt! I'll get onto that next...

bello baby

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:56:00 +0000

Who did this? Was it you?

I've changed it back now.

the finished nursery

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:57:00 +0000

Oops. Ignore that broken light switch on the right. That's fixed now.

The melted crayon canvas won't be staying in the nursery long-term (if I even keep it), as the wax isn't very child-friendly - too easy to pick off and eat. Not that I've been picking off the crayon wax and eating it. Pregnancy can do strange things to a woman, but I haven't completely lost it.

A cot skirt to conceal the junk under the cot, inventively put together by my mum who used three pillow cases and some velcro.

There are many more details I'll share, but that will be another post.

nursery details

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:40:00 +0000

I've been instructed to rest and put my feet up, so I'm taking the opportunity to go through the photos which have been building up over the last few months and do some blogging! How nice.

Didn't realise I'd missed it over here in blogland (things have been very hectic, y'know). Hello. So, what have I missed?

The nursery is finished (more photos to follow later today). The mobile is still hanging from the light in the living room though. It'd be nice to have that in the nursery before the wee one arrives, but it doesn't look that out of place in the living room, so it's no biggie. I've almost finished making a quilt for the little one (again, photos will follow) using these fabrics. I'm sure there are many other things but I can't think of them right now. Due date is fast approaching, so you could see a birth announcement on here any day now. Although, I could do with one more week to get some things in order. Very very exciting.

More nursery photos to follow...

rainbow fabric stack

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:45:00 +0000

Rainbow quilt, coming soon...

Melty Melty Wall Art

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:35:00 +0000

There has been a lot going on lately - lots of colourful fun things have been made, a nursery has been decorated and Mr Pippa made some art. Photos have been taken and blog posts will be posted.

For today, some melted crayon wall art:

It's been all over Pinterest and it was only a matter of time before I had a go at it - you know how much I love things in colour-order.

I adhered the crayons (still in their wrappers) to the canvas with a hot glue gun. Once they were all in place, I got the heat gun out and gently heated a section of crayons, allowing the wax to drip down.

I tested this out on a small canvas before venturing to this one. On the small canvas, I used cheaper crayons. I have no idea why but that one worked better than this one. I'll add a photo of it to this post so that you can see what I mean.

See how there seems to be some kind of resistance going on in those purples? That melted wax does not want to stick the the canvas. Very odd.

Currently, it's on the wall of the nursery. I'm not sure I'll end up keeping it long-term because it went a bit weird:

As the melted wax dried, it lifted off the canvas. I had already thought that it wasn't the most durable piece of art for the wall and probably better to display it in a box frame, if one wanted to keep it.

Still looks cool though. It can stay in the nursery for a bit longer, I think.

how to attach a mobile

noreply@blogger.com (Pippa) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:38:00 +0000

Hello you.

I've got lots of things to show you but I've had very little time to actually upload photos and form some sort of blog post. It's for a fun reason though: I've been working on the nursery! Well, when I say working on, it's been more like me being project manager between naps and Mr Pippa doing the real hard work.

Very soon, I shall have photos to share with you. Exciting!

One question: how on earth can I attach an enormous mobile* to the ceiling? The walls in this place crumble at the tiniest nail, so I dread to think what the ceilings are like (why would someone wallpaper a ceiling unless there was something to hide? That's my thinking).

Any ideas?

*I, of course, do not mean a mobile phone. Why would I want an enormous mobile phone on my ceiling?