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

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

Kids Kraft: Chocolate Refridgerator Cake

You will need:

~ Ingredients ~

175g unsalted butter (chopped into small chunks)

150g chocolate (broken into pieces)

2 tablespoons of golden syrup

250g digestive biscuits

200g cherries (cut into quarters)

~Equipment~

Prep; knife, chopping board, scales

Microwave safe bowl

Wooden spoon

Polythene bag & tea towel

Rolling pin

Greased baking tin (aprox 20cm x 30cm)

What to do:

1. Put the butter and chocolate in a microwave proof bowl and zap it for 60 seconds.  Stir with a wooden spoon and cook in microwave for a further 60 seconds. Stir with a wooden spoon.  The butter and the chocolate should have melted by now - if it hasnt keep cooking on 30second intervals until it has.  Add the golden syrup and stir until it is all mixed in together.

2.  Place the biscuits in a polythene bag and cover with a tea towel, then crush them with a rolling pin.

3.  Add the biscuit crumbs to the wet mix and stir until all the crumbs have been coated.  Add the cherries and mix them well.

4. Spread the mixture into a greased baking tin and press down with the back of the spoon.

5.  When the mixture is completely cool, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 2hrs.

6.  When the cake has set cut it into squares.

7.  Enjoy your cake!!

*Try swapping/combining the cherries with raisins, nuts or mini marshmellows - let your imagination run free.

*Try using different chocolate for differnent colours and taste, or combine 2 mixes to create swirls in the baking tin.

*After cutting you could package them up into boxes or bags and give away as gifts

*If you have really small children the adult could do all the cutting up beforehand, then the rest is pretty much safe for the little ones to do by themselves; although the mixture shouldn't get hot I do recomend that an adult takes the mixture out of the microwave.

My daughter made this at school and then came home with the recipe to make it again.  We have to take a picture, print it off and send it back in to school.  Both my daughter (6) and my son (3) stood on steps at the counter and made it together - yet again I forgot to take photos so we're going to make it again closer to Christmas so we can wrap the squares up and give them away as gifts.

TOODLE PIPS

x♥x

Quantity Vs Quality

Just because you do a lot of research doesn't necessarily mean that you have done the right research.  It is no wonder then that I found the whole process of rebatching soap completely unexpected.  This morning I found this tutorial video from Soap Queen

If you look through the rest of the site you can find a whole host of wonderous How-to demonstrations all about soap and related products.  I think she's fab!

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x

Kids Kraft: No Sew T-shirt Cushion Tutorial

We made 4 of these t-shirt cushions over the weekend - they really are that easy and require no sewing what-so-ever!!  Unfortunately I got so caught up in the fun of it all that I forgot to take photos for a tutorial post so I spent a few minutes just now doing some (very) simple drawings on paint - next time the kids let loose on an oversized t-shirt I will have my camera ready!

1.  Lay your t-shirt (the bigger the better) out flat, place your cushion pad down and draw around it with some tailors chalk (the blue line) then draw another line about 2inches out (the red line). 

2.  Cut along the red line making sure you go through both the front and back layer of the t-shirt.

3.  Using the picture as a guide mark lines (the red lines) about 2cm apart all the way around - take note of the corners, you want a tab coming straight off from each one.  Cut along these red lines going only as far as the cushion pad outline - discard the 2 triangles either side of the corner tabs.

4. Take 2 corresponding tabs from the back layer and the front layer and tie them together with a knot.  It is easier to start with each corner and the middle one on each side - inserting the cushion pad before doing the fourth side.

5.  Continue knotting the tabs all the way around untill they are all done.  You can leave the cushion like this if you like the tassles as they are.

6.  Alternatively you can take one tassle from each pair and knot it to another tassle from the pair next to it, and so on, all the way around.  This should make the tassles lie flat against the cushion which means you can easily poke them inside to hide them, giving you a strange knotted-piping effect along the edges.

7.  Plump, relax and enjoy.

 

If you are making them as gifts then you can easily wrap them in clingfilm to keep them clean, ready for when you want to wrap them properly.  I know clingfilm isnt the most eco-friendly thing out there but when it comes to crafts and the kitchen is a seriously handy thing! More importantly it can be rinsed and re-used (with-in reason of course, hygeine not with-standing) and if you do happen to throw it away, keep in mind that it can be rolled into teeny-tiny little balls - effectively taking up less space in those dreaded landfills.

 

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x

Clockbook Tutorial

As promised, here is a tutorial on how to turn a book into a clock.  You will need: a book, a clock, a drill, a pencil, a ruler, a knife and some glue.  A selction of different sized drill-bits and some sort of sticky-tape may also come in handy.

*Hints & Tips*

*Choosing the right book: you can choose any hardback book you like as long as it is thicker than the depth of the clock-box that holds the mechanism and battery, and you no longer want to read it of course.  Please make sure you gain the owners permission first if the book does not already belong to you.

*Choosing the right clock: make sure that the clock hands will not extend past the edges of the book once complete.  Also, make sure that the depth of the clock box is less than the thickness of the book.  You may need to choose another clock or book if either of these issues arise.  Again, make sure you have permission to dismantle the clock.

*Choosing the right sized drill-bit: a good measure is the original clock's face-template (the bit with the numbers printed on it), if it doesn't fit through the bit is too big, if it fits through and you can wiggle it about still, then it is too small - try to find one that fits the best.

*Marking where to drill the hole: for most of my book clocks I chose the dead centre of the book - to find this, use the ruler along the bottom, mark the middle, then repeat along the top.  Place the ruler against these two marks and then find the middle again - this should be the exact centre.  It is always best to double check your measurements before drilling the hole.  You can also lay the hands down to ensure it will be aesthetically pleasing when complete.  The book I used for this tutorial had a nice circular design on its cover so I chose to use the centre of that pattern as the place to drill my hole.

*Marking where the box will sit: when you drill your hole, if you keep drilling a little bit further into the book it will leave a small nook in which you can flip the clock box over and work out where the box will sit.  Leave about a half centimetre gap around the box - it makes it easier to assemble later.

*Cutting where the box will sit: USE A SHARP KNIFE otherwise the pages will tear and snag.  USE A RULER to keep the lines straight.  You will probably only cut through a few pages at a time so be prepared for this to take a while - it is important that you do not rush this process or the clock box may not fit correctly. You can tidy the edges with tape, which also holds the pages together from the inside to make it more sturdy - in this tutorial I used green snipers tape (the tape is quite fabric-like) but you could use anything you like, even remnants of the pages already cut out.

*Where do I glue?:  It is a good idea to glue the front cover to the first page and also the last few pages with cut-outs on them.  If your book slants when stood up you can also glue the last few pages of the book and then glue them to the back cover to prevent slippage - this usually only occurs in old books

*Setting the time: when you replace your hands (hour, minute, second - from bottom to top) if you position them so they are all together eg. 12 o'clock, when you turn the dial to set the time the hands will be in the correct positions.

 

If you have any hints or tips you would like to add, or have noticed a mistake I have made, please feel free to leave a comment below

 

TOODLE-PIPS

x♥x