Easy-Peasy Fudge

~Ingredients~

125ml milk

110g butter

200g peanut butter

475g light brown soft sugar

425g icing sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

~Equipment~

hob

wooden spoon

large saucepan
timer

20x20 lined tin

fridge

knife

1.  Melt the butter in the saucepan on a medium heat.

2.  Stir in the brown sugar and the milk and bring to a rolling boil stirring frequently.

3.  Set timer, and boil for 2 minutes, continually stirring at a slow speed.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth.

5. Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

5. Pour into tin and chill until firm.

6. Cut into chunks, et voila!

TIPS

*If you don't want tiny chips of nut in your fudge then make sure you opt for smooth peanut butter

*Make sure you use light brown sugar - I tried another batch with dark brown sugar and it tasted like bonfire toffee!

*I tried using olive spread in a chocolate version but the fudge never set completely so I ended up dipping rolled balls into chocolate.

*This recipe makes A LOT of fudge - I ended up freezing 2 thirds of it for a later date

Homemade Candle Tutorial

I thrifted an old cheese pot a while back but I was unsure what to do with it....then it hit me, as part of a hamper it could be a candle!! So here is my tutorial for you to do the same - this is my first ever solo attempt at making a candle (I made one when I was a child with my dad but it didn't even burn!)....

1. Gather supplies:

• 
  
  a container (one that can withstand heat or its just going to melt along with your candle - or worse still, combust and burn your house down!),
• 
  
  some wax - you can use old candles, unused candles, broken candles it really doesn't matter so long as they are wax of some sort, ie. beeswax, paraffin wax etc
• 
  
  essence oil - only if you want your candle to smell of a particular aroma or your wax is unscented
• 
  
  a double boiler - to melt your wax in
• 
  
  a stirrer - to stir your wax with
• 
  
  heatproof gloves - to protect your hands (obviously)

2.  Melt the wax:

• 
  
  break the candles into smaller pieces, grate or slice - if you freeze the candles for a few hours before hand they should crack into chunks quite easily
• 
  
  put the wax into your double boiler - I don't have one of these so I use a large saucepan half filled with water with heat-proof containers sitting inside - I found using an empty tin can worked the best
• 
  
  if you left the wicks in the chunks of candles, fish them out now - if the pieces are long enough lay them flat on some wax paper, foil or paper bag and store (when cool) for another project - it saves buying wicks from a craft store!
• 
  
  add the essence oil - if you are scenting your candles now is the time to add the aroma - you only need a few drops (honestly, I didn't think it would be enough so I added about 10 drops - now my candle is probably too strong and the house (more so my hands) stinks of Christmas Spices!

3.  Pour the wax and leave to cool:

• 
  
  Carefully take your pot of melted wax (use heatproof gloves to hold it if the container is hot) and pour the wax slowly into your chosen container
• 
  
  INSERTING THE WICK - you can glue the bottom of the wick into place beforehand, pour a small amount of wax in and embed your wick whilst it cools, pour all the wax in and then as it sets poke in a stiffened wick, or cheat like I did - when I chopped my candles up into smaller chunks, I measured how long I wanted my wick to be and then chopped the candle to fit and melted the rest of the wax.  I poured a small amount of wax into the bottom of my container and bonded my shortened candle to it, then poured the rest of the melted wax around it, all the way to the top.  The heat of the melted wax should melt the edges and bond nicely together (which it did)
• 
  
  I put sticky tape around the rim of my container to stop any wax from cooling where I didn't want it to.  I also covered the top of the wick with a bit of sticky tape so that didn't get covered either.
• 
  
  Secure the top of your wick to keep it in place - if your wick is long you can wrap it around a pencil, or clasp it in a clothes peg, or use a bit of sticky tape as I did.

Et Voilà!  You may find that the wax will create a 'sink hole' as it cools - don't worry you can always top it up afterward.  The first time I made my own candle I poked at the top to try and prevent the sink hole effect but the shrinkage still occurred, hence the messy top shown in the photo*!  I this case, patience is definitely a virtue.

It is best to have more wax than you think you will probably need - you can always allow any extra wax to cool and then it can be melted down again for the next project but if you don't have enough to hand in the first place, your candle will go unfinished.

WARNING: NEVER melt wax in a microwave as it can combust!  Obviously certain items may become extremely hot during this project so caution is to be taken at all times - NEVER leave melting wax unattended. 

**to smooth the top of your candle run your hair dryer across the top to melt it a little - be careful the jets of air dont fire the wax back up in your face!**

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x

Upcycled Present for Teenager

A vintage tin.....

but what is inside?

A spotted mustard tie-wrap watch with matching mustard pashmina!

My neice is 13 and VERY trendy so what do you give a young fashionista who has everything already?  Never mind keeping up with the Jonses...let the Jonses keep up with you!  The watch strap used to be a mans tie and the watch face used to be a watch (obviously)  with plain old tired straps - now its a funky tie-wrap watch (and yes I made myself one first - for test purposes only of course *wink wink*).  The pashmina was thrifted "as new" (it still has its original tags on!) and the tin was a tin but its an old and battered unloved one - it was slightly rusty dusty inside so I lined it with snipers tape, which is basically just a stickybacked fabric in fat-ribbon form - the watch holder is just a cut up kitchen towel roll stuffed with newspaper and covered with snipers tape.  I rolled the pashmina up and placed the watch in the centre - et voilà!!

I'd be interested to know what was originally inside the tin so if anyone knows feel free to leave a comment below

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x

Raising Money for the School

Last year, to raise money for the school, they held a Christmas shopping evening where local people could 'buy' a table and sell their wares - it was suggested that I go and sell some of my crocheted items - I went, I sold, I took orders and I learned that I didn't really want to do it again - my mania had crashed long before then so I literally had to drag myself there to see at least one thing out that year!

So, this year they may be holding another shopping evening (I've not actually found out for sure yet, but if not they always have a Christmas Fayre and that would be as good a place as any - why they could even do it at both!)  This year, I am going to make things to be sold except I'm not going doing it for personal gain.  Instead, 100% of the money taken will go straight back to the school - and what am I selling?  Upcycled Gift Wrap of course!  Here is my plan:

60 packets of ribbon @ £2 each = £120

60 packets of bows @ £2 each = £120

60 packets of tags @ £1 each = £60

TOTAL = £300

I think that's pretty good going just for giving up a few evenings of my time don't you?

Although I'm dubious as to how much people should pay for the gift bows, the come in packs of 8 so I'm not sure whether the school should charge £1, £1.50 or £2 - how much would people be prepared to pay? The more money they charge the more money they make, but if something is too dear then less people might buy them and the school could actually make less money - see my dilemma - maybe I should just let the school decide after they know their options.

Two reels of ribbon takes 10minutes and I managed to do ten of them today - only fifty more to do then! - but I find them strangely enjoyable to do (maybe its because there is a screwdriver involved, plus the fact its super quick?) but it is with the bows where in lies the rub!  60 packets of 8 bows means 480 bows in total and as there are 10 squares to each one (9 of which are folded) there are 4800 squares!!!  It seems a never ending task, and then when those are complete I'll have to start on the 480 gift wrap tags with pre-cut strings!!

Luckily I haven't actually informed the school yet so if it never comes to fruition I haven't let anyone down, but I'd love to see their faces when I donate all this stock that they can sell - it would almost be as good as writing the cheque out myself (if I had that kind of money to just give away of course!).  Wish me luck....

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x

Knitting Needle Bracelets Tutorial

Got some knitting needles but cant knit?  Don't throw them away, turn them into bangles instead!  This tutorial is for PLASTIC knitting needles only! Do not try to melt the aluminum ones in a pan, it probably isn't going to work.  WARNING: the plastic may give off toxic fumes so make sure you are working in a well ventilated area and that you are wearing a mask - also some of the chemicals may be absorbed by your pan so it is best to use one that you are not going to cook with.

1.  Place your knitting needles in a pan of boiling water - treat them like you would spaghetti if your pan isn't quite big enough (but don't simmer them) -  and boil for 10-15mins.

2.  Use tongs to fish one out.  Test to see if it is pliable enough to bend to shape.  If not keep boiling for a bit longer. 

3.  Wrap the needle around a glass or other cylindrical shaped object you have - remember to use oven gloves as the needle may be hot.  I have asbestos hands (so says my husband) so I hand shaped mine as I found it easier - I did burn my thumb slightly in the process so don't say I didn't warn you - I found the non-pointy ends retained the heat, that's what I burnt my thumb on!

4.  Hold in place until cool and set or put them into a bowl of cold water to speed the process up.

5.  Leave on a towel or draining board to dry.

6.  Don't worry if the shaping has not gone to plan - you can always pop it back in to boil and try again - don't force your needle or it may break.

* you may find that the "knobs" or labels may come off in the boiling process - don't worry you can always glue these back on afterwards.

Here are some close-up shots of a couple of bangles:

You could also maybe try making brooches by bending one into an S shape and keeping the other straight - great for a wool shrug maybe?

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x

Trinket Box Makeover

This is a Christmas present for my neice Hope - her favorite colour is light blue, and by chance the drawers were already lined with blue cord material so it saved me a job on that front.

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x

Up Up & Away....

I finally finished all the upcycled gift wrap!!!

The gift tags: made from cutout leftovers on the book clock projects - do you like how I packaged them to form a heart?  The strings are wool taken from my 'crochet-crazy' days last year.

The flower bows: made from cutout leftovers on the book clock projects - I added double sided sticky pads to the back so you can easily attach them to wrapped gifts.

The ribbon: this used to be video cassette tape - there are roughly 90mins worth on each reel (also from the video) I'm not sure exactly how much in length there is, but I originally unwound 10metres and it hardly made a dent so I estimate there to be well over 100metres on each reel - if anyone wants to unwind the entire length of a 187min long film tape could you be a star and let me know? Thanks.

Just the soaps and sweets do do next, oh, and working out what the actual hampers are going to be made from!

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x